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Using one of the servants at the university, Amiti had sent word to his father earlier in the day to expect a guest for dinner. He hadn’t specified who that guest might be, or why that guest might be coming. The only thing he had specified to do was bring out extra candles and ensure that all the food was made to perfection. The one thing Amiti did not want was for Zoser to tell anyone that the food he’d had at the Jaffe Bayith was anything less than stellar. He’d contrived to leave a little bit prior to Zoser and waited for the Egyptian in a shadowed alleyway. Amiti’s attention constantly swept the streets and he turned away any time he saw someone he knew, until, at last, Zoser came. Instructing Zoser not to walk with him, but to at least keep him in sight, it was in this way that Zoser and Amiti came to the house. Amiti was more anxious than ever that no one see Zoser enter the house and he wouldn’t let them approach until the street was empty. As for who might be looking out of the windows? Who could say?
Amiti moved swiftly ahead of Zoser, up the shallow steps of the house, and held the door open for the Egyptian. He stood with one foot over the home’s threshold, the other foot firmly planted on the top of the stairs, with his back against the doorframe. His arm extended along the door, hand grasping the handle, with his other arm motioning Zoser inside, pivoting like a small windmill. Though the muscles in his shoulders remained tense, Amiti’s expression was completely smooth and serene, as if nothing at all was amiss in his world. One only needed to feel the erratic beating of his heart in his chest to see that this wasn’t the case. The second Zoser’s body was out of the way, Amiti shut the door with a decorous slam and leaned against it, letting out a long, harsh breath.
“That was close,” he said. Eyeing his guest, he glanced down at the man’s sandals, but presumed that if Zoser didn’t know to remove them, then he’d do it with an example shown. Amiti took his time sliding first one foot out of a sandal, then the other, and arranged them just so with the toes touching the whitewashed wall of the entryway and the heels perfectly aligned to the line of the colorful tiles of the entryway floor. Some houses boasted mosaics along every possible surface, floor, wall, and ceiling, but in this house, the mosaic was confined mostly to the floor. With blue and white tiles, interspersed with tiled circles of red and black, the effect gave an almost eternal appearance when viewed from above, as though the pattern could go on forever and ever.
Further into the house, the tiles settled down into diamonds of blue and white, except in the dining room where they were primarily hidden by a rich, plush persian rug. The low table was surrounded by brightly colored cushions in hues of teal, blue, white, and red, all designed to ensure the comfort of those eating. Amiti’s younger brother, Shiloh, passed across the rounded doorway at the far end of the room, a book in his hand, not noticing that Amiti stood at the other end of the room with Zoser.
“Father?” Amiti called into the house. “Thaddeus? Shiloh? I’m home.” Shiloh’s head snapped up and he stared at Zoser before his eyes slowly traveled to Amiti. The younger man shut his book and hid it behind his back, offering a shallow bow but saying nothing. Tzephaniah’s slow ”A moment, son,” echoed from somewhere in the house and it made Amiti turn to Zoser.
“Now, when you meet my father, excuse his...pace.” And that was all the comment he was prepared to make on the Jaffe patriarch, who still hadn’t entered the room. Amiti wondered if a tortoise or a snail would be faster than his father...
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Using one of the servants at the university, Amiti had sent word to his father earlier in the day to expect a guest for dinner. He hadn’t specified who that guest might be, or why that guest might be coming. The only thing he had specified to do was bring out extra candles and ensure that all the food was made to perfection. The one thing Amiti did not want was for Zoser to tell anyone that the food he’d had at the Jaffe Bayith was anything less than stellar. He’d contrived to leave a little bit prior to Zoser and waited for the Egyptian in a shadowed alleyway. Amiti’s attention constantly swept the streets and he turned away any time he saw someone he knew, until, at last, Zoser came. Instructing Zoser not to walk with him, but to at least keep him in sight, it was in this way that Zoser and Amiti came to the house. Amiti was more anxious than ever that no one see Zoser enter the house and he wouldn’t let them approach until the street was empty. As for who might be looking out of the windows? Who could say?
Amiti moved swiftly ahead of Zoser, up the shallow steps of the house, and held the door open for the Egyptian. He stood with one foot over the home’s threshold, the other foot firmly planted on the top of the stairs, with his back against the doorframe. His arm extended along the door, hand grasping the handle, with his other arm motioning Zoser inside, pivoting like a small windmill. Though the muscles in his shoulders remained tense, Amiti’s expression was completely smooth and serene, as if nothing at all was amiss in his world. One only needed to feel the erratic beating of his heart in his chest to see that this wasn’t the case. The second Zoser’s body was out of the way, Amiti shut the door with a decorous slam and leaned against it, letting out a long, harsh breath.
“That was close,” he said. Eyeing his guest, he glanced down at the man’s sandals, but presumed that if Zoser didn’t know to remove them, then he’d do it with an example shown. Amiti took his time sliding first one foot out of a sandal, then the other, and arranged them just so with the toes touching the whitewashed wall of the entryway and the heels perfectly aligned to the line of the colorful tiles of the entryway floor. Some houses boasted mosaics along every possible surface, floor, wall, and ceiling, but in this house, the mosaic was confined mostly to the floor. With blue and white tiles, interspersed with tiled circles of red and black, the effect gave an almost eternal appearance when viewed from above, as though the pattern could go on forever and ever.
Further into the house, the tiles settled down into diamonds of blue and white, except in the dining room where they were primarily hidden by a rich, plush persian rug. The low table was surrounded by brightly colored cushions in hues of teal, blue, white, and red, all designed to ensure the comfort of those eating. Amiti’s younger brother, Shiloh, passed across the rounded doorway at the far end of the room, a book in his hand, not noticing that Amiti stood at the other end of the room with Zoser.
“Father?” Amiti called into the house. “Thaddeus? Shiloh? I’m home.” Shiloh’s head snapped up and he stared at Zoser before his eyes slowly traveled to Amiti. The younger man shut his book and hid it behind his back, offering a shallow bow but saying nothing. Tzephaniah’s slow ”A moment, son,” echoed from somewhere in the house and it made Amiti turn to Zoser.
“Now, when you meet my father, excuse his...pace.” And that was all the comment he was prepared to make on the Jaffe patriarch, who still hadn’t entered the room. Amiti wondered if a tortoise or a snail would be faster than his father...
Using one of the servants at the university, Amiti had sent word to his father earlier in the day to expect a guest for dinner. He hadn’t specified who that guest might be, or why that guest might be coming. The only thing he had specified to do was bring out extra candles and ensure that all the food was made to perfection. The one thing Amiti did not want was for Zoser to tell anyone that the food he’d had at the Jaffe Bayith was anything less than stellar. He’d contrived to leave a little bit prior to Zoser and waited for the Egyptian in a shadowed alleyway. Amiti’s attention constantly swept the streets and he turned away any time he saw someone he knew, until, at last, Zoser came. Instructing Zoser not to walk with him, but to at least keep him in sight, it was in this way that Zoser and Amiti came to the house. Amiti was more anxious than ever that no one see Zoser enter the house and he wouldn’t let them approach until the street was empty. As for who might be looking out of the windows? Who could say?
Amiti moved swiftly ahead of Zoser, up the shallow steps of the house, and held the door open for the Egyptian. He stood with one foot over the home’s threshold, the other foot firmly planted on the top of the stairs, with his back against the doorframe. His arm extended along the door, hand grasping the handle, with his other arm motioning Zoser inside, pivoting like a small windmill. Though the muscles in his shoulders remained tense, Amiti’s expression was completely smooth and serene, as if nothing at all was amiss in his world. One only needed to feel the erratic beating of his heart in his chest to see that this wasn’t the case. The second Zoser’s body was out of the way, Amiti shut the door with a decorous slam and leaned against it, letting out a long, harsh breath.
“That was close,” he said. Eyeing his guest, he glanced down at the man’s sandals, but presumed that if Zoser didn’t know to remove them, then he’d do it with an example shown. Amiti took his time sliding first one foot out of a sandal, then the other, and arranged them just so with the toes touching the whitewashed wall of the entryway and the heels perfectly aligned to the line of the colorful tiles of the entryway floor. Some houses boasted mosaics along every possible surface, floor, wall, and ceiling, but in this house, the mosaic was confined mostly to the floor. With blue and white tiles, interspersed with tiled circles of red and black, the effect gave an almost eternal appearance when viewed from above, as though the pattern could go on forever and ever.
Further into the house, the tiles settled down into diamonds of blue and white, except in the dining room where they were primarily hidden by a rich, plush persian rug. The low table was surrounded by brightly colored cushions in hues of teal, blue, white, and red, all designed to ensure the comfort of those eating. Amiti’s younger brother, Shiloh, passed across the rounded doorway at the far end of the room, a book in his hand, not noticing that Amiti stood at the other end of the room with Zoser.
“Father?” Amiti called into the house. “Thaddeus? Shiloh? I’m home.” Shiloh’s head snapped up and he stared at Zoser before his eyes slowly traveled to Amiti. The younger man shut his book and hid it behind his back, offering a shallow bow but saying nothing. Tzephaniah’s slow ”A moment, son,” echoed from somewhere in the house and it made Amiti turn to Zoser.
“Now, when you meet my father, excuse his...pace.” And that was all the comment he was prepared to make on the Jaffe patriarch, who still hadn’t entered the room. Amiti wondered if a tortoise or a snail would be faster than his father...
Zoser began to view this entire experience in Judea as a journey that paralleled many of the ancient myths and tales of adventurers, overcoming obstacles and navigating through perilous circumstances. At least, that was the way that he was made to feel at each turn of a corner, with caution about his entire existence being repeatedly flown before his face. Particularly by the Councilman Amiti.
In an attempt to help with his subterfuge, Zoser wore as conservative clothing as he could find to appropriately cover his skin, as well as a long, cloth headcovering that then wrapped around his neck, as if that would be enough to offer enough of a disguise to keep eyes away from him. Of course, it did nothing to take away from his outrageous height and inherited, naturally-muscled Moghadam build. That, unfortunately, could not be helped.
Keeping his eyes ahead and only glancing about from the corners of his eyes, he kept a causal pace, watching Amiti's movements up ahead, finding a bit of humor in the way that the man continually broke form by glancing behind to see if Zoser still followed. Already, though, Zoser did his best to soften his expressions - best not to seem too amused around here, unless someone accuse him of flouting the reverence of all things Judean and threaten to imprison or kill him. Such seemed the extremes of Judea.
Once the signal was given, Zoser gave one last look at the surroundings outside before stepping in. His eyes immediately fell to the ornately decorated mosaic floor, his brows raising in appreciation of the artisan who had done so. These same patterns he had seen in various Judean texts he had come to possess over the years, and he enjoyed the mental connection between parchment and reality as he took in the sight. His eyes lighted on the sandals by the doorway and he began to unstrap his own as Amiti placed his neatly along the wall, offering his comment.
"Yes, very close," Zoser replied, off-handedly, unfastening the last of his sandals and very tediously addressing their neatness and the precise way in which they aligned with the wall, leaving a distance he thought Amiti would approve of away from the sandals of the other household members. After all, he doubted the Judean would want any 'Egyptian essence' plaguing his household...
The Councilman called out to his familymembers, a younger sibling crossing the room and offering a bow. Zoser returned the motion, attempting to draw little attention to himself as he paused in the motion of his hand to reach up and undo the cloth of the headcovering around his neck. In an odd shift, he almost liked the way it seemed to form a barrier or shield for himself, and he caughed Amiti's eye.
"On or off?" It was an honest question. If he was to meet the patriarch of his family, he wanted to do his best not to offend.
A failed artform thusfar.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Zoser began to view this entire experience in Judea as a journey that paralleled many of the ancient myths and tales of adventurers, overcoming obstacles and navigating through perilous circumstances. At least, that was the way that he was made to feel at each turn of a corner, with caution about his entire existence being repeatedly flown before his face. Particularly by the Councilman Amiti.
In an attempt to help with his subterfuge, Zoser wore as conservative clothing as he could find to appropriately cover his skin, as well as a long, cloth headcovering that then wrapped around his neck, as if that would be enough to offer enough of a disguise to keep eyes away from him. Of course, it did nothing to take away from his outrageous height and inherited, naturally-muscled Moghadam build. That, unfortunately, could not be helped.
Keeping his eyes ahead and only glancing about from the corners of his eyes, he kept a causal pace, watching Amiti's movements up ahead, finding a bit of humor in the way that the man continually broke form by glancing behind to see if Zoser still followed. Already, though, Zoser did his best to soften his expressions - best not to seem too amused around here, unless someone accuse him of flouting the reverence of all things Judean and threaten to imprison or kill him. Such seemed the extremes of Judea.
Once the signal was given, Zoser gave one last look at the surroundings outside before stepping in. His eyes immediately fell to the ornately decorated mosaic floor, his brows raising in appreciation of the artisan who had done so. These same patterns he had seen in various Judean texts he had come to possess over the years, and he enjoyed the mental connection between parchment and reality as he took in the sight. His eyes lighted on the sandals by the doorway and he began to unstrap his own as Amiti placed his neatly along the wall, offering his comment.
"Yes, very close," Zoser replied, off-handedly, unfastening the last of his sandals and very tediously addressing their neatness and the precise way in which they aligned with the wall, leaving a distance he thought Amiti would approve of away from the sandals of the other household members. After all, he doubted the Judean would want any 'Egyptian essence' plaguing his household...
The Councilman called out to his familymembers, a younger sibling crossing the room and offering a bow. Zoser returned the motion, attempting to draw little attention to himself as he paused in the motion of his hand to reach up and undo the cloth of the headcovering around his neck. In an odd shift, he almost liked the way it seemed to form a barrier or shield for himself, and he caughed Amiti's eye.
"On or off?" It was an honest question. If he was to meet the patriarch of his family, he wanted to do his best not to offend.
A failed artform thusfar.
Zoser began to view this entire experience in Judea as a journey that paralleled many of the ancient myths and tales of adventurers, overcoming obstacles and navigating through perilous circumstances. At least, that was the way that he was made to feel at each turn of a corner, with caution about his entire existence being repeatedly flown before his face. Particularly by the Councilman Amiti.
In an attempt to help with his subterfuge, Zoser wore as conservative clothing as he could find to appropriately cover his skin, as well as a long, cloth headcovering that then wrapped around his neck, as if that would be enough to offer enough of a disguise to keep eyes away from him. Of course, it did nothing to take away from his outrageous height and inherited, naturally-muscled Moghadam build. That, unfortunately, could not be helped.
Keeping his eyes ahead and only glancing about from the corners of his eyes, he kept a causal pace, watching Amiti's movements up ahead, finding a bit of humor in the way that the man continually broke form by glancing behind to see if Zoser still followed. Already, though, Zoser did his best to soften his expressions - best not to seem too amused around here, unless someone accuse him of flouting the reverence of all things Judean and threaten to imprison or kill him. Such seemed the extremes of Judea.
Once the signal was given, Zoser gave one last look at the surroundings outside before stepping in. His eyes immediately fell to the ornately decorated mosaic floor, his brows raising in appreciation of the artisan who had done so. These same patterns he had seen in various Judean texts he had come to possess over the years, and he enjoyed the mental connection between parchment and reality as he took in the sight. His eyes lighted on the sandals by the doorway and he began to unstrap his own as Amiti placed his neatly along the wall, offering his comment.
"Yes, very close," Zoser replied, off-handedly, unfastening the last of his sandals and very tediously addressing their neatness and the precise way in which they aligned with the wall, leaving a distance he thought Amiti would approve of away from the sandals of the other household members. After all, he doubted the Judean would want any 'Egyptian essence' plaguing his household...
The Councilman called out to his familymembers, a younger sibling crossing the room and offering a bow. Zoser returned the motion, attempting to draw little attention to himself as he paused in the motion of his hand to reach up and undo the cloth of the headcovering around his neck. In an odd shift, he almost liked the way it seemed to form a barrier or shield for himself, and he caughed Amiti's eye.
"On or off?" It was an honest question. If he was to meet the patriarch of his family, he wanted to do his best not to offend.
A failed artform thusfar.
What had started off as a regular, normal day at the Jaffe Bayith had turned into a slight mess when a servant from the university had arrived halfway into them preparing dinner, informing them to expect a guest. Gwyneth had been perfectly content with the duties she had to do, already used to them after a while of working with the manheeg, but the sudden change threw them for a whirl, when she was suddenly tasked to prep and clean a fish, the sort that she usually asked the market monger to do.
"Why hadn't we done that?" she had asked in slight horror, only to be informed by the very indignant cook that to prep it in the market would spoil its freshness, and therefore Cook preferred to do it just before cooking, a task now left to Gwyneth's inexperienced hands. The girl's face was a picture of horror and confusion as she stared at the very dead, very scaly creature in front of him. Did she have a choice? Not really, no. Looking around, the kitchen was a hive of activity and with no obvious person to ask for help, Gwyneth eventually bit her teeth and did it.
Half an hour later, the girl was found staggering away, being sent to do housework after she basically massacred the fish. It was a good thing there was a spare, for whatever she had left after attempting to gut the fish wasn't much to eat on. Cook had been horrified, the head of the household staff even more so.
So rather then risk further damage to what had to be a good dinner tonight to entertain their guest, the head of the staff had sent Gwyneth out to ensure the dining area was well set and polished, and that was exactly where Gwyneth would be when the family eventually traipsed in for the meal. Dressed in her burnt orange, linen dress that fell to her knees, a dirty brown apron was tied up in front of it, her brunette locks in a tight bun atop her head, covered with a sheer headscarf the color of sunset that was fastened to the top of her dress with a pin. Bare feet made it easier for Gwyneth to ensure the floor was smooth and clean, before she got to arranging the utenils for the evening meal just so, biting her bottom lip as she focused on her task. In the room next door, she could hear the entrance of someone, before the call came from who she assuemd to be Amiti summoning his brothers.
With that signal, Gwyneth quickly jogged over to the room connecting the kitchen, and signalled at the staff at the kitchen for the meal to be prepared soon, so they could start the moment the family entered.
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What had started off as a regular, normal day at the Jaffe Bayith had turned into a slight mess when a servant from the university had arrived halfway into them preparing dinner, informing them to expect a guest. Gwyneth had been perfectly content with the duties she had to do, already used to them after a while of working with the manheeg, but the sudden change threw them for a whirl, when she was suddenly tasked to prep and clean a fish, the sort that she usually asked the market monger to do.
"Why hadn't we done that?" she had asked in slight horror, only to be informed by the very indignant cook that to prep it in the market would spoil its freshness, and therefore Cook preferred to do it just before cooking, a task now left to Gwyneth's inexperienced hands. The girl's face was a picture of horror and confusion as she stared at the very dead, very scaly creature in front of him. Did she have a choice? Not really, no. Looking around, the kitchen was a hive of activity and with no obvious person to ask for help, Gwyneth eventually bit her teeth and did it.
Half an hour later, the girl was found staggering away, being sent to do housework after she basically massacred the fish. It was a good thing there was a spare, for whatever she had left after attempting to gut the fish wasn't much to eat on. Cook had been horrified, the head of the household staff even more so.
So rather then risk further damage to what had to be a good dinner tonight to entertain their guest, the head of the staff had sent Gwyneth out to ensure the dining area was well set and polished, and that was exactly where Gwyneth would be when the family eventually traipsed in for the meal. Dressed in her burnt orange, linen dress that fell to her knees, a dirty brown apron was tied up in front of it, her brunette locks in a tight bun atop her head, covered with a sheer headscarf the color of sunset that was fastened to the top of her dress with a pin. Bare feet made it easier for Gwyneth to ensure the floor was smooth and clean, before she got to arranging the utenils for the evening meal just so, biting her bottom lip as she focused on her task. In the room next door, she could hear the entrance of someone, before the call came from who she assuemd to be Amiti summoning his brothers.
With that signal, Gwyneth quickly jogged over to the room connecting the kitchen, and signalled at the staff at the kitchen for the meal to be prepared soon, so they could start the moment the family entered.
What had started off as a regular, normal day at the Jaffe Bayith had turned into a slight mess when a servant from the university had arrived halfway into them preparing dinner, informing them to expect a guest. Gwyneth had been perfectly content with the duties she had to do, already used to them after a while of working with the manheeg, but the sudden change threw them for a whirl, when she was suddenly tasked to prep and clean a fish, the sort that she usually asked the market monger to do.
"Why hadn't we done that?" she had asked in slight horror, only to be informed by the very indignant cook that to prep it in the market would spoil its freshness, and therefore Cook preferred to do it just before cooking, a task now left to Gwyneth's inexperienced hands. The girl's face was a picture of horror and confusion as she stared at the very dead, very scaly creature in front of him. Did she have a choice? Not really, no. Looking around, the kitchen was a hive of activity and with no obvious person to ask for help, Gwyneth eventually bit her teeth and did it.
Half an hour later, the girl was found staggering away, being sent to do housework after she basically massacred the fish. It was a good thing there was a spare, for whatever she had left after attempting to gut the fish wasn't much to eat on. Cook had been horrified, the head of the household staff even more so.
So rather then risk further damage to what had to be a good dinner tonight to entertain their guest, the head of the staff had sent Gwyneth out to ensure the dining area was well set and polished, and that was exactly where Gwyneth would be when the family eventually traipsed in for the meal. Dressed in her burnt orange, linen dress that fell to her knees, a dirty brown apron was tied up in front of it, her brunette locks in a tight bun atop her head, covered with a sheer headscarf the color of sunset that was fastened to the top of her dress with a pin. Bare feet made it easier for Gwyneth to ensure the floor was smooth and clean, before she got to arranging the utenils for the evening meal just so, biting her bottom lip as she focused on her task. In the room next door, she could hear the entrance of someone, before the call came from who she assuemd to be Amiti summoning his brothers.
With that signal, Gwyneth quickly jogged over to the room connecting the kitchen, and signalled at the staff at the kitchen for the meal to be prepared soon, so they could start the moment the family entered.
This was it. Maeri was finally going to have her wedding formally arranged. From here, if she managed not to completely embarrass herself in front of Amiti's family, they'd travel back to her home city of Judea for the official engagement ceremony. This is where she would eventually have to go live with Amiti in his family. It was such a weird thing to think about living anywhere other than with her mother, aunt and sisters. She was absolutely excited to become a wife and have a husband and start a new life as a real adult, but at the same time, all the change seemed so sudden. She hadn’t realized how much of her old life she’d have to leave behind to start a new one.
It was just dinner. She could have a dinner with Amiti and his family. That was all she had to worry about for now. She’d have dinner with his family, and her mother, and she’d convinced Amarissa to come along with her to celebrate. It was going to be a nice dinner and that was all it needed to be. She had dressed in a nice robe in a deep blue and a matching sheer mitzpahath. It wasn’t her fanciest clothes; she was trying to maintain the fiction in her mind that all this was was a nice dinner, not the beginning of the rest of her life.
She, her mother, and Amarissa had all arrived together. Maeri had wanted the dog to come with her, but she had been persuaded that she would be much happier staying at home than having to sit outside the house for the entire evening. The three of them arrived at the house on the heels of Amiti arriving home. With Amiti was an unexpected guest. It was the Egyptian Maeri had seen in passing a few times before.
Yonita had stepped forward to make the appropriate polite greetings, but Maeri interrupted almost immediately. “Oh, you brought Zoser with you to dinner!” Maeri said excitedly. This was good, one more thing to distract her from the impending upheaval in her life. Yonita cleared her throat sharply, and Maeri fell quiet before she could embarrass herself any further with an outburst about how exciting it was that they would be having an Egyptian for dinner.
At that point, Yonita stepped forward to take control of the situation. “What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner.” Yonita said to Amiti. Then she inclined her head towards Zoser, with only the slightest furrowing of her brow showing on her forehead at his presence. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zoozer, was it?” Yonita turned back to Amiti, shutting down any further conversation with the foreign man. “I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?”
Maeri watched her mother handling the situation with an ease and grace and she hoped she might one day be capable of. She tried to take mental notes on how her mother dealt with these kinds of situations. She was going to have to be able to do this all on her own soon, without her mother’s prompting.
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Feb 16, 2020 19:14:42 GMT
Posted In Pass The Salt on Feb 16, 2020 19:14:42 GMT
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This was it. Maeri was finally going to have her wedding formally arranged. From here, if she managed not to completely embarrass herself in front of Amiti's family, they'd travel back to her home city of Judea for the official engagement ceremony. This is where she would eventually have to go live with Amiti in his family. It was such a weird thing to think about living anywhere other than with her mother, aunt and sisters. She was absolutely excited to become a wife and have a husband and start a new life as a real adult, but at the same time, all the change seemed so sudden. She hadn’t realized how much of her old life she’d have to leave behind to start a new one.
It was just dinner. She could have a dinner with Amiti and his family. That was all she had to worry about for now. She’d have dinner with his family, and her mother, and she’d convinced Amarissa to come along with her to celebrate. It was going to be a nice dinner and that was all it needed to be. She had dressed in a nice robe in a deep blue and a matching sheer mitzpahath. It wasn’t her fanciest clothes; she was trying to maintain the fiction in her mind that all this was was a nice dinner, not the beginning of the rest of her life.
She, her mother, and Amarissa had all arrived together. Maeri had wanted the dog to come with her, but she had been persuaded that she would be much happier staying at home than having to sit outside the house for the entire evening. The three of them arrived at the house on the heels of Amiti arriving home. With Amiti was an unexpected guest. It was the Egyptian Maeri had seen in passing a few times before.
Yonita had stepped forward to make the appropriate polite greetings, but Maeri interrupted almost immediately. “Oh, you brought Zoser with you to dinner!” Maeri said excitedly. This was good, one more thing to distract her from the impending upheaval in her life. Yonita cleared her throat sharply, and Maeri fell quiet before she could embarrass herself any further with an outburst about how exciting it was that they would be having an Egyptian for dinner.
At that point, Yonita stepped forward to take control of the situation. “What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner.” Yonita said to Amiti. Then she inclined her head towards Zoser, with only the slightest furrowing of her brow showing on her forehead at his presence. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zoozer, was it?” Yonita turned back to Amiti, shutting down any further conversation with the foreign man. “I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?”
Maeri watched her mother handling the situation with an ease and grace and she hoped she might one day be capable of. She tried to take mental notes on how her mother dealt with these kinds of situations. She was going to have to be able to do this all on her own soon, without her mother’s prompting.
This was it. Maeri was finally going to have her wedding formally arranged. From here, if she managed not to completely embarrass herself in front of Amiti's family, they'd travel back to her home city of Judea for the official engagement ceremony. This is where she would eventually have to go live with Amiti in his family. It was such a weird thing to think about living anywhere other than with her mother, aunt and sisters. She was absolutely excited to become a wife and have a husband and start a new life as a real adult, but at the same time, all the change seemed so sudden. She hadn’t realized how much of her old life she’d have to leave behind to start a new one.
It was just dinner. She could have a dinner with Amiti and his family. That was all she had to worry about for now. She’d have dinner with his family, and her mother, and she’d convinced Amarissa to come along with her to celebrate. It was going to be a nice dinner and that was all it needed to be. She had dressed in a nice robe in a deep blue and a matching sheer mitzpahath. It wasn’t her fanciest clothes; she was trying to maintain the fiction in her mind that all this was was a nice dinner, not the beginning of the rest of her life.
She, her mother, and Amarissa had all arrived together. Maeri had wanted the dog to come with her, but she had been persuaded that she would be much happier staying at home than having to sit outside the house for the entire evening. The three of them arrived at the house on the heels of Amiti arriving home. With Amiti was an unexpected guest. It was the Egyptian Maeri had seen in passing a few times before.
Yonita had stepped forward to make the appropriate polite greetings, but Maeri interrupted almost immediately. “Oh, you brought Zoser with you to dinner!” Maeri said excitedly. This was good, one more thing to distract her from the impending upheaval in her life. Yonita cleared her throat sharply, and Maeri fell quiet before she could embarrass herself any further with an outburst about how exciting it was that they would be having an Egyptian for dinner.
At that point, Yonita stepped forward to take control of the situation. “What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner.” Yonita said to Amiti. Then she inclined her head towards Zoser, with only the slightest furrowing of her brow showing on her forehead at his presence. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zoozer, was it?” Yonita turned back to Amiti, shutting down any further conversation with the foreign man. “I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?”
Maeri watched her mother handling the situation with an ease and grace and she hoped she might one day be capable of. She tried to take mental notes on how her mother dealt with these kinds of situations. She was going to have to be able to do this all on her own soon, without her mother’s prompting.
Amiti’s eyes traveled to the ceiling as they waited for Thaddeus and Tzephaniah to join them. He wasn’t entirely sure which was more embarrassing; bringing a heathen home or having this heathen wait for his father, whenever Tzephaniah deemed it appropriate to leave his books. And then, he could not believe he’d forgotten, but Maeri showed up. “Off, off!” he snapped to Zoser as soon as he heard female voices in the hallway behind them, as yet unseen. “Why-” he began, pinching the bridge of his nose, but before he could totally gather himself and prepare for the awkward explanations that were sure to be brought up, Maeri bounced into the room, bringing all the beauty and sunlight with her, exclaiming over Zoser. Beyond her, Amarissa came at a more sedate pace, and Yonita more calm still.
Amiti’s wide brown eyes pleaded with his future mother in law to understand that Zoser’s presence wasn’t meant as an affront, but he couldn’t exactly call attention to that with this crowd of people suddenly taking up most of the available space. Shiloh’s bemused expression bounced from person to person in that irritating way of his, like he knew more than anyone else in the room. Amiti half glared at his brother, still wondering what was keeping the brighter, more chatty one, and silently pleading with Yahweh to make Tzephaniah appear at some point this century.
“I…” Amiti had to answer Maeri’s assertion that he’d brought Zoser to dinner. The problem was, he couldn’t find a sufficient explanation. “He-” how to explain this...At that moment, Yonita, thankfully covered for her daughter.
"What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner."
“It is my pleasure,” Amiti assured her with a deferential nod and a glance at Amarissa to include her in the conversation and clearly for no other reason. One more quick look to make sure she was included, and then Amiti stepped aside and gestured to Zoser the way he might an exotic animal none of them had ever seen before.
“This is Zoser of Thebes. If you will forgive my eternal rudeness for including him tonight, I would beg your indulgence. He was a great help to us in the university today when the storm suddenly hit. I thought, even though he is Egyptian, that perhaps it would be unkind to leave him to his own poor meal.”
Yonita turned to Amiti after acknowledging that Zoser at least existed. "I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?"
Amiti didn’t have time to answer that. His father had made his presence known and Amiti turned, nearly throwing up his hands in a ‘finally!’ gesture, but squashed the urge by tightly coiling his arms around himself in a self soothing hug.
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Amiti’s eyes traveled to the ceiling as they waited for Thaddeus and Tzephaniah to join them. He wasn’t entirely sure which was more embarrassing; bringing a heathen home or having this heathen wait for his father, whenever Tzephaniah deemed it appropriate to leave his books. And then, he could not believe he’d forgotten, but Maeri showed up. “Off, off!” he snapped to Zoser as soon as he heard female voices in the hallway behind them, as yet unseen. “Why-” he began, pinching the bridge of his nose, but before he could totally gather himself and prepare for the awkward explanations that were sure to be brought up, Maeri bounced into the room, bringing all the beauty and sunlight with her, exclaiming over Zoser. Beyond her, Amarissa came at a more sedate pace, and Yonita more calm still.
Amiti’s wide brown eyes pleaded with his future mother in law to understand that Zoser’s presence wasn’t meant as an affront, but he couldn’t exactly call attention to that with this crowd of people suddenly taking up most of the available space. Shiloh’s bemused expression bounced from person to person in that irritating way of his, like he knew more than anyone else in the room. Amiti half glared at his brother, still wondering what was keeping the brighter, more chatty one, and silently pleading with Yahweh to make Tzephaniah appear at some point this century.
“I…” Amiti had to answer Maeri’s assertion that he’d brought Zoser to dinner. The problem was, he couldn’t find a sufficient explanation. “He-” how to explain this...At that moment, Yonita, thankfully covered for her daughter.
"What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner."
“It is my pleasure,” Amiti assured her with a deferential nod and a glance at Amarissa to include her in the conversation and clearly for no other reason. One more quick look to make sure she was included, and then Amiti stepped aside and gestured to Zoser the way he might an exotic animal none of them had ever seen before.
“This is Zoser of Thebes. If you will forgive my eternal rudeness for including him tonight, I would beg your indulgence. He was a great help to us in the university today when the storm suddenly hit. I thought, even though he is Egyptian, that perhaps it would be unkind to leave him to his own poor meal.”
Yonita turned to Amiti after acknowledging that Zoser at least existed. "I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?"
Amiti didn’t have time to answer that. His father had made his presence known and Amiti turned, nearly throwing up his hands in a ‘finally!’ gesture, but squashed the urge by tightly coiling his arms around himself in a self soothing hug.
Amiti’s eyes traveled to the ceiling as they waited for Thaddeus and Tzephaniah to join them. He wasn’t entirely sure which was more embarrassing; bringing a heathen home or having this heathen wait for his father, whenever Tzephaniah deemed it appropriate to leave his books. And then, he could not believe he’d forgotten, but Maeri showed up. “Off, off!” he snapped to Zoser as soon as he heard female voices in the hallway behind them, as yet unseen. “Why-” he began, pinching the bridge of his nose, but before he could totally gather himself and prepare for the awkward explanations that were sure to be brought up, Maeri bounced into the room, bringing all the beauty and sunlight with her, exclaiming over Zoser. Beyond her, Amarissa came at a more sedate pace, and Yonita more calm still.
Amiti’s wide brown eyes pleaded with his future mother in law to understand that Zoser’s presence wasn’t meant as an affront, but he couldn’t exactly call attention to that with this crowd of people suddenly taking up most of the available space. Shiloh’s bemused expression bounced from person to person in that irritating way of his, like he knew more than anyone else in the room. Amiti half glared at his brother, still wondering what was keeping the brighter, more chatty one, and silently pleading with Yahweh to make Tzephaniah appear at some point this century.
“I…” Amiti had to answer Maeri’s assertion that he’d brought Zoser to dinner. The problem was, he couldn’t find a sufficient explanation. “He-” how to explain this...At that moment, Yonita, thankfully covered for her daughter.
"What Maeri means to say, is thank you for inviting us into your home for dinner."
“It is my pleasure,” Amiti assured her with a deferential nod and a glance at Amarissa to include her in the conversation and clearly for no other reason. One more quick look to make sure she was included, and then Amiti stepped aside and gestured to Zoser the way he might an exotic animal none of them had ever seen before.
“This is Zoser of Thebes. If you will forgive my eternal rudeness for including him tonight, I would beg your indulgence. He was a great help to us in the university today when the storm suddenly hit. I thought, even though he is Egyptian, that perhaps it would be unkind to leave him to his own poor meal.”
Yonita turned to Amiti after acknowledging that Zoser at least existed. "I apologize if we arrived too early. Is there anything we can help with?"
Amiti didn’t have time to answer that. His father had made his presence known and Amiti turned, nearly throwing up his hands in a ‘finally!’ gesture, but squashed the urge by tightly coiling his arms around himself in a self soothing hug.
Tzephaniah stood in the doorway behind him and loudly cleared his throat. Dressed in sombre black robes, he surveyed the colorfully clad people before him with a serene calm he did not feel. Though he’d thrown his wife out long ago, and though he knew full well the advantages of having a wife would mean for his sons, Tzephaniah still had not gotten over the sting of such a betrayal. His dislike for women in general exceeded Amiti’s dislike and he gazed at Yonita with inward distrust. There was nothing wrong with Maeri, in reputation, at least. But she was too bouncy. Still, Amiti was obviously willing to go forward with this and Tzephaniah figured one woman was as bad as another.
Stepping into the room, he smiled at them all and bowed as pleasantly as he was supposed to do. “Please, friends,” he said in his deliberately languid way. “Sit, sit.” This was his way of answering Yonita that, no, there was nothing that she, as a guest, should be doing. It wasn’t like his son had mentioned that another woman would be accompanying Maeri and Yonita and Tzephaniah squinted at Amarissa, trying to place her. Then his eyes widened as he realized this was Elhanan’s child. Well. She should be perfectly at home in the company of a heathen.
Tzephaniah looked Zoser over, gave him as polite a greeting as he had everyone else, and beckoned Zoser to sit between himself and Amiti. With Thaddeus at his left and Shiloh just down from Thaddeus, this left Amiti and Maeri to sit next to one another, with Amarissa between Maeri and Yonita at the far end of the table, across from Tzephaniah. This was the kind of gathering Tzephaniah had imagined for himself at one point in his life. Before his wife had proved herself to be a Jezebel harlot. Now he preferred to think of his wife as dead and preferred for the rest of the populace to think that way, too. Having literally left in the middle of the night so as to cause as little scandal as possible, Tzephaniah felt that he had been a little too kind to her. By rights, she and the man he’d found her with should have been stoned. But for his sons, he’d spared her that fate.
“What a nice dinner this is,” he said slowly as food was brought to the table. Servants, including Gwyneth, brought food and laid out platters of bread, fruit, meat, and cooked vegetables out for them to enjoy. There were communal bowls of olive oil for everyone to share, dipping their bread into, and of course, servants were moving from person to person with bowls of water, washing feet and hands before anyone tucked into the meal. Tzephaniah waited until everyone was washed and pure, before asking the blessing and then taking the first bite to signal that all was well and the rest of the table could eat.
“How was your journey, Yonita? Well, I trust?” he asked Maeri’s mother, instead of the girl herself. And to Amarissa, “How is your father? Well, I trust?”
Meanwhile, Amiti quietly died of embarrassment beside Zoser and Maeri.
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Tzephaniah stood in the doorway behind him and loudly cleared his throat. Dressed in sombre black robes, he surveyed the colorfully clad people before him with a serene calm he did not feel. Though he’d thrown his wife out long ago, and though he knew full well the advantages of having a wife would mean for his sons, Tzephaniah still had not gotten over the sting of such a betrayal. His dislike for women in general exceeded Amiti’s dislike and he gazed at Yonita with inward distrust. There was nothing wrong with Maeri, in reputation, at least. But she was too bouncy. Still, Amiti was obviously willing to go forward with this and Tzephaniah figured one woman was as bad as another.
Stepping into the room, he smiled at them all and bowed as pleasantly as he was supposed to do. “Please, friends,” he said in his deliberately languid way. “Sit, sit.” This was his way of answering Yonita that, no, there was nothing that she, as a guest, should be doing. It wasn’t like his son had mentioned that another woman would be accompanying Maeri and Yonita and Tzephaniah squinted at Amarissa, trying to place her. Then his eyes widened as he realized this was Elhanan’s child. Well. She should be perfectly at home in the company of a heathen.
Tzephaniah looked Zoser over, gave him as polite a greeting as he had everyone else, and beckoned Zoser to sit between himself and Amiti. With Thaddeus at his left and Shiloh just down from Thaddeus, this left Amiti and Maeri to sit next to one another, with Amarissa between Maeri and Yonita at the far end of the table, across from Tzephaniah. This was the kind of gathering Tzephaniah had imagined for himself at one point in his life. Before his wife had proved herself to be a Jezebel harlot. Now he preferred to think of his wife as dead and preferred for the rest of the populace to think that way, too. Having literally left in the middle of the night so as to cause as little scandal as possible, Tzephaniah felt that he had been a little too kind to her. By rights, she and the man he’d found her with should have been stoned. But for his sons, he’d spared her that fate.
“What a nice dinner this is,” he said slowly as food was brought to the table. Servants, including Gwyneth, brought food and laid out platters of bread, fruit, meat, and cooked vegetables out for them to enjoy. There were communal bowls of olive oil for everyone to share, dipping their bread into, and of course, servants were moving from person to person with bowls of water, washing feet and hands before anyone tucked into the meal. Tzephaniah waited until everyone was washed and pure, before asking the blessing and then taking the first bite to signal that all was well and the rest of the table could eat.
“How was your journey, Yonita? Well, I trust?” he asked Maeri’s mother, instead of the girl herself. And to Amarissa, “How is your father? Well, I trust?”
Meanwhile, Amiti quietly died of embarrassment beside Zoser and Maeri.
Tzephaniah stood in the doorway behind him and loudly cleared his throat. Dressed in sombre black robes, he surveyed the colorfully clad people before him with a serene calm he did not feel. Though he’d thrown his wife out long ago, and though he knew full well the advantages of having a wife would mean for his sons, Tzephaniah still had not gotten over the sting of such a betrayal. His dislike for women in general exceeded Amiti’s dislike and he gazed at Yonita with inward distrust. There was nothing wrong with Maeri, in reputation, at least. But she was too bouncy. Still, Amiti was obviously willing to go forward with this and Tzephaniah figured one woman was as bad as another.
Stepping into the room, he smiled at them all and bowed as pleasantly as he was supposed to do. “Please, friends,” he said in his deliberately languid way. “Sit, sit.” This was his way of answering Yonita that, no, there was nothing that she, as a guest, should be doing. It wasn’t like his son had mentioned that another woman would be accompanying Maeri and Yonita and Tzephaniah squinted at Amarissa, trying to place her. Then his eyes widened as he realized this was Elhanan’s child. Well. She should be perfectly at home in the company of a heathen.
Tzephaniah looked Zoser over, gave him as polite a greeting as he had everyone else, and beckoned Zoser to sit between himself and Amiti. With Thaddeus at his left and Shiloh just down from Thaddeus, this left Amiti and Maeri to sit next to one another, with Amarissa between Maeri and Yonita at the far end of the table, across from Tzephaniah. This was the kind of gathering Tzephaniah had imagined for himself at one point in his life. Before his wife had proved herself to be a Jezebel harlot. Now he preferred to think of his wife as dead and preferred for the rest of the populace to think that way, too. Having literally left in the middle of the night so as to cause as little scandal as possible, Tzephaniah felt that he had been a little too kind to her. By rights, she and the man he’d found her with should have been stoned. But for his sons, he’d spared her that fate.
“What a nice dinner this is,” he said slowly as food was brought to the table. Servants, including Gwyneth, brought food and laid out platters of bread, fruit, meat, and cooked vegetables out for them to enjoy. There were communal bowls of olive oil for everyone to share, dipping their bread into, and of course, servants were moving from person to person with bowls of water, washing feet and hands before anyone tucked into the meal. Tzephaniah waited until everyone was washed and pure, before asking the blessing and then taking the first bite to signal that all was well and the rest of the table could eat.
“How was your journey, Yonita? Well, I trust?” he asked Maeri’s mother, instead of the girl herself. And to Amarissa, “How is your father? Well, I trust?”
Meanwhile, Amiti quietly died of embarrassment beside Zoser and Maeri.
It was just a normal day, or he thought it was going to be a normal day. He was reading in his room when he heard Amiti’s voice calling him. He knew dinner was going to be ready soon, and while he wanted to quickly answer the call, he was not yet finished with studying his prayers. Unfortunately, this took several moments longer than Thaddeus expected it to. He heard Maeri’s voice faintly, and suddenly realized he hadn’t properly shown himself to their guests. He quickly bookmarked his place, and sped out of his room. He took a quick glance at Gwyn who was near the table before stopping, skidding to a halt. He eyed the stranger in the home, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t really have time before they were being seated for dinner, and he felt himself boiling in offence. There was a stranger in their home, and Amiti hadn’t told him that it was going to be a foreigner. All Thaddeus could think about was the fact that there had been something Amiti hadn’t told him, and the man couldn’t help but feel offended. Amiti told him everything, all the time! Thaddeus respected Amiti perhaps even more than their own father, trusted him… there were no secrets that Amiti kept, and yet, here they were sitting at a table with someone not like them. Someone who Amiti hadn’t even introduced him to.
And from foriegn lands.
He smiled over at Maeri and Yonita, and called over to them in a friendly hello. “I really hope you have been doing well, Maeri, always good to see you.” He called over to his brother’s fiance. As they settled onto their seats, Thaddeus shot a glare in Amiti’s direction. This was Amiti’s only warning that Thaddeus wasn’t happy at who was sitting at their table tonight. His eyes carried over to their father, and Thaddeus struck a grin, in an effort to show him that he was at least trying to stay calm, but Thaddeus’s body language became more and more tense. He felt himself growing angrier. A surprise foreigner, at their family dinner table… and he hadn’t even had a chance to get to know… and on top of that, Amiti had kept all of this hidden other than a lame excuse to call this person a “guest.” It wasn’t like Amiti to do such a thing. As Gwyneth, along with other servants carried out food, Thaddeus was able to calm himself. He made sure it wasn’t obvious, but he always enjoyed being able to watch Gywn work. He tried to sneak a smile towards Gwyneth, at the same time trying to be professional as he was right next to his father.
She was so pristine and excellent at her job. He only wished he could compliment her without outing how he really felt…. His mind shifted back to Zoser though, and he looked down at his plate. Gywn was perfect, and although this could have been a relaxing dinner for him, it was not. He couldn’t get over his surprise about there being a foreigner, who he didn’t know at the dinner table. He was even more surprised that everyone was acting normal. Everyone always acted normal. Everyone acted like everything was fine…
Thaddeus gripped his glass hard and while he drank the liquid down calmly, he placed it back onto the table a bit hard. “So Amiti, why did you keep a secret?” The obvious anger was plain in Thaddeus’s voice, and it was clear he was upset about something. His eyes shot to Zoser. “How long have you been planning to eat with our family?”
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It was just a normal day, or he thought it was going to be a normal day. He was reading in his room when he heard Amiti’s voice calling him. He knew dinner was going to be ready soon, and while he wanted to quickly answer the call, he was not yet finished with studying his prayers. Unfortunately, this took several moments longer than Thaddeus expected it to. He heard Maeri’s voice faintly, and suddenly realized he hadn’t properly shown himself to their guests. He quickly bookmarked his place, and sped out of his room. He took a quick glance at Gwyn who was near the table before stopping, skidding to a halt. He eyed the stranger in the home, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t really have time before they were being seated for dinner, and he felt himself boiling in offence. There was a stranger in their home, and Amiti hadn’t told him that it was going to be a foreigner. All Thaddeus could think about was the fact that there had been something Amiti hadn’t told him, and the man couldn’t help but feel offended. Amiti told him everything, all the time! Thaddeus respected Amiti perhaps even more than their own father, trusted him… there were no secrets that Amiti kept, and yet, here they were sitting at a table with someone not like them. Someone who Amiti hadn’t even introduced him to.
And from foriegn lands.
He smiled over at Maeri and Yonita, and called over to them in a friendly hello. “I really hope you have been doing well, Maeri, always good to see you.” He called over to his brother’s fiance. As they settled onto their seats, Thaddeus shot a glare in Amiti’s direction. This was Amiti’s only warning that Thaddeus wasn’t happy at who was sitting at their table tonight. His eyes carried over to their father, and Thaddeus struck a grin, in an effort to show him that he was at least trying to stay calm, but Thaddeus’s body language became more and more tense. He felt himself growing angrier. A surprise foreigner, at their family dinner table… and he hadn’t even had a chance to get to know… and on top of that, Amiti had kept all of this hidden other than a lame excuse to call this person a “guest.” It wasn’t like Amiti to do such a thing. As Gwyneth, along with other servants carried out food, Thaddeus was able to calm himself. He made sure it wasn’t obvious, but he always enjoyed being able to watch Gywn work. He tried to sneak a smile towards Gwyneth, at the same time trying to be professional as he was right next to his father.
She was so pristine and excellent at her job. He only wished he could compliment her without outing how he really felt…. His mind shifted back to Zoser though, and he looked down at his plate. Gywn was perfect, and although this could have been a relaxing dinner for him, it was not. He couldn’t get over his surprise about there being a foreigner, who he didn’t know at the dinner table. He was even more surprised that everyone was acting normal. Everyone always acted normal. Everyone acted like everything was fine…
Thaddeus gripped his glass hard and while he drank the liquid down calmly, he placed it back onto the table a bit hard. “So Amiti, why did you keep a secret?” The obvious anger was plain in Thaddeus’s voice, and it was clear he was upset about something. His eyes shot to Zoser. “How long have you been planning to eat with our family?”
It was just a normal day, or he thought it was going to be a normal day. He was reading in his room when he heard Amiti’s voice calling him. He knew dinner was going to be ready soon, and while he wanted to quickly answer the call, he was not yet finished with studying his prayers. Unfortunately, this took several moments longer than Thaddeus expected it to. He heard Maeri’s voice faintly, and suddenly realized he hadn’t properly shown himself to their guests. He quickly bookmarked his place, and sped out of his room. He took a quick glance at Gwyn who was near the table before stopping, skidding to a halt. He eyed the stranger in the home, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t really have time before they were being seated for dinner, and he felt himself boiling in offence. There was a stranger in their home, and Amiti hadn’t told him that it was going to be a foreigner. All Thaddeus could think about was the fact that there had been something Amiti hadn’t told him, and the man couldn’t help but feel offended. Amiti told him everything, all the time! Thaddeus respected Amiti perhaps even more than their own father, trusted him… there were no secrets that Amiti kept, and yet, here they were sitting at a table with someone not like them. Someone who Amiti hadn’t even introduced him to.
And from foriegn lands.
He smiled over at Maeri and Yonita, and called over to them in a friendly hello. “I really hope you have been doing well, Maeri, always good to see you.” He called over to his brother’s fiance. As they settled onto their seats, Thaddeus shot a glare in Amiti’s direction. This was Amiti’s only warning that Thaddeus wasn’t happy at who was sitting at their table tonight. His eyes carried over to their father, and Thaddeus struck a grin, in an effort to show him that he was at least trying to stay calm, but Thaddeus’s body language became more and more tense. He felt himself growing angrier. A surprise foreigner, at their family dinner table… and he hadn’t even had a chance to get to know… and on top of that, Amiti had kept all of this hidden other than a lame excuse to call this person a “guest.” It wasn’t like Amiti to do such a thing. As Gwyneth, along with other servants carried out food, Thaddeus was able to calm himself. He made sure it wasn’t obvious, but he always enjoyed being able to watch Gywn work. He tried to sneak a smile towards Gwyneth, at the same time trying to be professional as he was right next to his father.
She was so pristine and excellent at her job. He only wished he could compliment her without outing how he really felt…. His mind shifted back to Zoser though, and he looked down at his plate. Gywn was perfect, and although this could have been a relaxing dinner for him, it was not. He couldn’t get over his surprise about there being a foreigner, who he didn’t know at the dinner table. He was even more surprised that everyone was acting normal. Everyone always acted normal. Everyone acted like everything was fine…
Thaddeus gripped his glass hard and while he drank the liquid down calmly, he placed it back onto the table a bit hard. “So Amiti, why did you keep a secret?” The obvious anger was plain in Thaddeus’s voice, and it was clear he was upset about something. His eyes shot to Zoser. “How long have you been planning to eat with our family?”
Unaware of the familial strife that was going on just yonder, instead Gwyneth was within the confines of the kitchen, balancing various plates of fruits, meats and cooked vegetables on her arms as she joined the rest of the servants in bringing the platters out. Quickly moving like worker ants who all knew their place, the few women at work was swift in assembling the various dishes they had prepared for the evening meal for the family,ensuring to not spill the few bowls of olive oil which had been lightly salted for flavor, before hurrying back to the basins of water the other servants had brought forward.
Keeping her head ducked the entire time, she completely missed the smile Thaddeus had directed at her, but was instead fully focused on not messing up at her job when there were so many guests present in the family household. She knew she would surely be fired should she mess up and besmirch the family name in such circumstances, so the young brunette was firmly focused on her tasks as she headed for the guests.
Leaving the family members for the other servants to wash, Gwyneth instead invited the women to take a seat, washing the feet of Amiti's betrothed whilst other servants came around to wash their hands with a separate basin. Gwyneth smiled and curtsied politely each time she finished before moving on to the other women, and eventually ending up at the feet of the invited Egyptian.
Dutifully, Gwyneth knelt down where he sat, hitching her dress up a little so it would not hinder her movements. Politely, as she had with the other women, Gwyneth looked up from her kneeling position with a quiet but demure smile, before proceeding to lift Zoser's feet into the now lukewarm basin of water. Proceeding to use her hands to wash it of sand, dust and to ensure it was pure for the meal, it only took a moment before she finished, picking up the basin and cloth she had used to balance it on her hip as she gave a shallow curtsy. "I hope you enjoy your meal, my lords and ladies." Gwyneth greeted appropriately, giving another smile before scurrying back to the kitchens.
Passing the basin off, she washed her own hands and feet to cleanse it after she had spent it washing the feet of other's and only then did Gwyneth return to the dining hall, hovering in the background ready to refill any platter of food or chalice of wine or beer should they wish. Her place was right next to a long table which held multiple clay waterpots filled with wine, beer and one lone waterpot of goat's milk. They had been lucky to chance upon a merchant selling it in the markets that morning, and had decided to procure it for the evening meal. Just as well, since they had guests, so Gwyneth would pour it upon request.
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Unaware of the familial strife that was going on just yonder, instead Gwyneth was within the confines of the kitchen, balancing various plates of fruits, meats and cooked vegetables on her arms as she joined the rest of the servants in bringing the platters out. Quickly moving like worker ants who all knew their place, the few women at work was swift in assembling the various dishes they had prepared for the evening meal for the family,ensuring to not spill the few bowls of olive oil which had been lightly salted for flavor, before hurrying back to the basins of water the other servants had brought forward.
Keeping her head ducked the entire time, she completely missed the smile Thaddeus had directed at her, but was instead fully focused on not messing up at her job when there were so many guests present in the family household. She knew she would surely be fired should she mess up and besmirch the family name in such circumstances, so the young brunette was firmly focused on her tasks as she headed for the guests.
Leaving the family members for the other servants to wash, Gwyneth instead invited the women to take a seat, washing the feet of Amiti's betrothed whilst other servants came around to wash their hands with a separate basin. Gwyneth smiled and curtsied politely each time she finished before moving on to the other women, and eventually ending up at the feet of the invited Egyptian.
Dutifully, Gwyneth knelt down where he sat, hitching her dress up a little so it would not hinder her movements. Politely, as she had with the other women, Gwyneth looked up from her kneeling position with a quiet but demure smile, before proceeding to lift Zoser's feet into the now lukewarm basin of water. Proceeding to use her hands to wash it of sand, dust and to ensure it was pure for the meal, it only took a moment before she finished, picking up the basin and cloth she had used to balance it on her hip as she gave a shallow curtsy. "I hope you enjoy your meal, my lords and ladies." Gwyneth greeted appropriately, giving another smile before scurrying back to the kitchens.
Passing the basin off, she washed her own hands and feet to cleanse it after she had spent it washing the feet of other's and only then did Gwyneth return to the dining hall, hovering in the background ready to refill any platter of food or chalice of wine or beer should they wish. Her place was right next to a long table which held multiple clay waterpots filled with wine, beer and one lone waterpot of goat's milk. They had been lucky to chance upon a merchant selling it in the markets that morning, and had decided to procure it for the evening meal. Just as well, since they had guests, so Gwyneth would pour it upon request.
Unaware of the familial strife that was going on just yonder, instead Gwyneth was within the confines of the kitchen, balancing various plates of fruits, meats and cooked vegetables on her arms as she joined the rest of the servants in bringing the platters out. Quickly moving like worker ants who all knew their place, the few women at work was swift in assembling the various dishes they had prepared for the evening meal for the family,ensuring to not spill the few bowls of olive oil which had been lightly salted for flavor, before hurrying back to the basins of water the other servants had brought forward.
Keeping her head ducked the entire time, she completely missed the smile Thaddeus had directed at her, but was instead fully focused on not messing up at her job when there were so many guests present in the family household. She knew she would surely be fired should she mess up and besmirch the family name in such circumstances, so the young brunette was firmly focused on her tasks as she headed for the guests.
Leaving the family members for the other servants to wash, Gwyneth instead invited the women to take a seat, washing the feet of Amiti's betrothed whilst other servants came around to wash their hands with a separate basin. Gwyneth smiled and curtsied politely each time she finished before moving on to the other women, and eventually ending up at the feet of the invited Egyptian.
Dutifully, Gwyneth knelt down where he sat, hitching her dress up a little so it would not hinder her movements. Politely, as she had with the other women, Gwyneth looked up from her kneeling position with a quiet but demure smile, before proceeding to lift Zoser's feet into the now lukewarm basin of water. Proceeding to use her hands to wash it of sand, dust and to ensure it was pure for the meal, it only took a moment before she finished, picking up the basin and cloth she had used to balance it on her hip as she gave a shallow curtsy. "I hope you enjoy your meal, my lords and ladies." Gwyneth greeted appropriately, giving another smile before scurrying back to the kitchens.
Passing the basin off, she washed her own hands and feet to cleanse it after she had spent it washing the feet of other's and only then did Gwyneth return to the dining hall, hovering in the background ready to refill any platter of food or chalice of wine or beer should they wish. Her place was right next to a long table which held multiple clay waterpots filled with wine, beer and one lone waterpot of goat's milk. They had been lucky to chance upon a merchant selling it in the markets that morning, and had decided to procure it for the evening meal. Just as well, since they had guests, so Gwyneth would pour it upon request.
Zoser's eyes widened slightly as an influx of people seemed to pour in from all sides. Hurriedly obeying the Councilman's orders he snatched the headcovering off and held it in his hands somewhat helplessly for a moment, seeing if there was a rack or a hook embedded in the wall for him to store it. Preferably by the door, in case he needed to make a hasty exit.
From what little Zoser knew of Councilman Amiti, he had two brothers and a father living in residence in Damascus. Which was why, having returned one of the brother's bows, the sound of a female voice behind caught his attention and had his head snapping around to glance over his shoulder, eventually turning to face the two women.
Unconsciously, Zoser smiled as he recognized Lady Maeri and Lady Amarissa, dipping his head in a bow to the young noblewomen. Out of everyone in Judea, the young Lady Maeri seemed to be the only living, breathing mortal who dared to show him an ounce of genuine kindness. "I am very pleased to see you, agai-.."
Suddenly, he was cut off by someone he could only assume was Maeri's mother, who reflected more of a standard Judean expression towards him, quickly correcting her daughter's enthusiasm. Even with the distinct mispronunciation of his name, Zoser took on a far more reverent and less familiar expression and bowed his head towards the older woman when Amiti began his introduction...
...but halfway in raising through his bow, Zoser's eyes glanced over to Amiti's profuse apology, particularly the wording he could catch. It caught him off guard, most certainly, but one did not survive as long as he did in the Egyptian court to let it show on his face that clearly. Instead, he pasted on his cordial expression, even trying to lean it a touch towards repentant and indulgent towards them, shuffling the slightest half-step back.
It was then that the man who could have only be Amiti's father, Tzephaniah, greeted them. Zoser offered another bow and then followed silently, as instructed to be seated at the table.
Looking back on it, Zoser did not fathom why he thought to say yes to this evening. Despite the fact that at every turn, Amiti made a point of accentuating the Egyptian's foreignness, he felt that somewhere under the layers of illiberality, he could find a kindred spirit with the Councilman - if only as scholars. Besides, it would help to have colleagues from afar as the University Library in Alexandria grew in size and recognition in the years to come. Looking back, this might not have been the hill to die on, but as for now, he was in too deep to look too far.
While he spent a good amount of time observing the interactions around the room, his attention was immediately garnered by a household servant - a stunning one, at that - who beckoned for his feet so that he could be washed before the meal, an interesting habit for the Judeans. Cleaning hands before a meal, he was more familiar with, but he quickly found it customary for the feet to be cleansed as well before the meal was blessed. The woman's hands were blessedly just firm enough to keep the touch from being too ticklish. The very last thing he wanted to do at this table was to display too much pleasure at being here.
Still, as the young woman smiled at him, Zoser could not help but press a smile back, and his eyes followed and lingered on the demure beauty as she stepped away and bid them a fair meal. He found his head dipping slightly to her in thanks.
Zoser examined the spread before them, eyes flicking to and fro as he waited for each person around the table to serve themselves and take a bite before he began to do so. After all, he was easily the lowest ranking person at the table - even below the women. Probably more on par with Lady Maeri's dog, which he noted distinctly was absent.
Just as Zoser was about to cautiously reach for something to begin filling his plate, he was caught off guard by the sharp tone and directed questions of one of Amiti's brothers. First, his eyes went to Amiti as if to seek some guidance in answering the question, or perhaps to have Amiti answer the question in his stead. However, as the young man's stare pinned him down, Zoser glanced around to the others at the table....who now expected him to answer as well.
"Er..." Zoser started, gathering his words and making an effort to speak slowly and clearly. Hebrew was not his strongest language by a long shot but he felt it had improved quite a bit since being immersed in it here. "Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and...." - gods bless! what was the word for hospitality?! - "reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well."
His eyes flitted back toward Amiti, hoping he did alright. Yes, his accent was likely horrendous and offensive in itself, and he was certain that he misspoke somewhere in there, but he hoped that the genuine tone in his words would at least show that Amiti had abided by what Zoser knew loosely as the Judean principle of being hospitable to guests.
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Apr 26, 2020 14:37:48 GMT
Posted In Pass The Salt on Apr 26, 2020 14:37:48 GMT
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Zoser's eyes widened slightly as an influx of people seemed to pour in from all sides. Hurriedly obeying the Councilman's orders he snatched the headcovering off and held it in his hands somewhat helplessly for a moment, seeing if there was a rack or a hook embedded in the wall for him to store it. Preferably by the door, in case he needed to make a hasty exit.
From what little Zoser knew of Councilman Amiti, he had two brothers and a father living in residence in Damascus. Which was why, having returned one of the brother's bows, the sound of a female voice behind caught his attention and had his head snapping around to glance over his shoulder, eventually turning to face the two women.
Unconsciously, Zoser smiled as he recognized Lady Maeri and Lady Amarissa, dipping his head in a bow to the young noblewomen. Out of everyone in Judea, the young Lady Maeri seemed to be the only living, breathing mortal who dared to show him an ounce of genuine kindness. "I am very pleased to see you, agai-.."
Suddenly, he was cut off by someone he could only assume was Maeri's mother, who reflected more of a standard Judean expression towards him, quickly correcting her daughter's enthusiasm. Even with the distinct mispronunciation of his name, Zoser took on a far more reverent and less familiar expression and bowed his head towards the older woman when Amiti began his introduction...
...but halfway in raising through his bow, Zoser's eyes glanced over to Amiti's profuse apology, particularly the wording he could catch. It caught him off guard, most certainly, but one did not survive as long as he did in the Egyptian court to let it show on his face that clearly. Instead, he pasted on his cordial expression, even trying to lean it a touch towards repentant and indulgent towards them, shuffling the slightest half-step back.
It was then that the man who could have only be Amiti's father, Tzephaniah, greeted them. Zoser offered another bow and then followed silently, as instructed to be seated at the table.
Looking back on it, Zoser did not fathom why he thought to say yes to this evening. Despite the fact that at every turn, Amiti made a point of accentuating the Egyptian's foreignness, he felt that somewhere under the layers of illiberality, he could find a kindred spirit with the Councilman - if only as scholars. Besides, it would help to have colleagues from afar as the University Library in Alexandria grew in size and recognition in the years to come. Looking back, this might not have been the hill to die on, but as for now, he was in too deep to look too far.
While he spent a good amount of time observing the interactions around the room, his attention was immediately garnered by a household servant - a stunning one, at that - who beckoned for his feet so that he could be washed before the meal, an interesting habit for the Judeans. Cleaning hands before a meal, he was more familiar with, but he quickly found it customary for the feet to be cleansed as well before the meal was blessed. The woman's hands were blessedly just firm enough to keep the touch from being too ticklish. The very last thing he wanted to do at this table was to display too much pleasure at being here.
Still, as the young woman smiled at him, Zoser could not help but press a smile back, and his eyes followed and lingered on the demure beauty as she stepped away and bid them a fair meal. He found his head dipping slightly to her in thanks.
Zoser examined the spread before them, eyes flicking to and fro as he waited for each person around the table to serve themselves and take a bite before he began to do so. After all, he was easily the lowest ranking person at the table - even below the women. Probably more on par with Lady Maeri's dog, which he noted distinctly was absent.
Just as Zoser was about to cautiously reach for something to begin filling his plate, he was caught off guard by the sharp tone and directed questions of one of Amiti's brothers. First, his eyes went to Amiti as if to seek some guidance in answering the question, or perhaps to have Amiti answer the question in his stead. However, as the young man's stare pinned him down, Zoser glanced around to the others at the table....who now expected him to answer as well.
"Er..." Zoser started, gathering his words and making an effort to speak slowly and clearly. Hebrew was not his strongest language by a long shot but he felt it had improved quite a bit since being immersed in it here. "Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and...." - gods bless! what was the word for hospitality?! - "reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well."
His eyes flitted back toward Amiti, hoping he did alright. Yes, his accent was likely horrendous and offensive in itself, and he was certain that he misspoke somewhere in there, but he hoped that the genuine tone in his words would at least show that Amiti had abided by what Zoser knew loosely as the Judean principle of being hospitable to guests.
Zoser's eyes widened slightly as an influx of people seemed to pour in from all sides. Hurriedly obeying the Councilman's orders he snatched the headcovering off and held it in his hands somewhat helplessly for a moment, seeing if there was a rack or a hook embedded in the wall for him to store it. Preferably by the door, in case he needed to make a hasty exit.
From what little Zoser knew of Councilman Amiti, he had two brothers and a father living in residence in Damascus. Which was why, having returned one of the brother's bows, the sound of a female voice behind caught his attention and had his head snapping around to glance over his shoulder, eventually turning to face the two women.
Unconsciously, Zoser smiled as he recognized Lady Maeri and Lady Amarissa, dipping his head in a bow to the young noblewomen. Out of everyone in Judea, the young Lady Maeri seemed to be the only living, breathing mortal who dared to show him an ounce of genuine kindness. "I am very pleased to see you, agai-.."
Suddenly, he was cut off by someone he could only assume was Maeri's mother, who reflected more of a standard Judean expression towards him, quickly correcting her daughter's enthusiasm. Even with the distinct mispronunciation of his name, Zoser took on a far more reverent and less familiar expression and bowed his head towards the older woman when Amiti began his introduction...
...but halfway in raising through his bow, Zoser's eyes glanced over to Amiti's profuse apology, particularly the wording he could catch. It caught him off guard, most certainly, but one did not survive as long as he did in the Egyptian court to let it show on his face that clearly. Instead, he pasted on his cordial expression, even trying to lean it a touch towards repentant and indulgent towards them, shuffling the slightest half-step back.
It was then that the man who could have only be Amiti's father, Tzephaniah, greeted them. Zoser offered another bow and then followed silently, as instructed to be seated at the table.
Looking back on it, Zoser did not fathom why he thought to say yes to this evening. Despite the fact that at every turn, Amiti made a point of accentuating the Egyptian's foreignness, he felt that somewhere under the layers of illiberality, he could find a kindred spirit with the Councilman - if only as scholars. Besides, it would help to have colleagues from afar as the University Library in Alexandria grew in size and recognition in the years to come. Looking back, this might not have been the hill to die on, but as for now, he was in too deep to look too far.
While he spent a good amount of time observing the interactions around the room, his attention was immediately garnered by a household servant - a stunning one, at that - who beckoned for his feet so that he could be washed before the meal, an interesting habit for the Judeans. Cleaning hands before a meal, he was more familiar with, but he quickly found it customary for the feet to be cleansed as well before the meal was blessed. The woman's hands were blessedly just firm enough to keep the touch from being too ticklish. The very last thing he wanted to do at this table was to display too much pleasure at being here.
Still, as the young woman smiled at him, Zoser could not help but press a smile back, and his eyes followed and lingered on the demure beauty as she stepped away and bid them a fair meal. He found his head dipping slightly to her in thanks.
Zoser examined the spread before them, eyes flicking to and fro as he waited for each person around the table to serve themselves and take a bite before he began to do so. After all, he was easily the lowest ranking person at the table - even below the women. Probably more on par with Lady Maeri's dog, which he noted distinctly was absent.
Just as Zoser was about to cautiously reach for something to begin filling his plate, he was caught off guard by the sharp tone and directed questions of one of Amiti's brothers. First, his eyes went to Amiti as if to seek some guidance in answering the question, or perhaps to have Amiti answer the question in his stead. However, as the young man's stare pinned him down, Zoser glanced around to the others at the table....who now expected him to answer as well.
"Er..." Zoser started, gathering his words and making an effort to speak slowly and clearly. Hebrew was not his strongest language by a long shot but he felt it had improved quite a bit since being immersed in it here. "Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and...." - gods bless! what was the word for hospitality?! - "reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well."
His eyes flitted back toward Amiti, hoping he did alright. Yes, his accent was likely horrendous and offensive in itself, and he was certain that he misspoke somewhere in there, but he hoped that the genuine tone in his words would at least show that Amiti had abided by what Zoser knew loosely as the Judean principle of being hospitable to guests.
All of Maeri’s nervousness at meeting her potential in-laws had disappeared when she saw that Zoser had been invited to the dinner. This was something that she could focus on instead of worrying about the impression she was making or whether or not Amiti or his father or brothers approved of her. Instead, as Tzephaniah invited them to sit, and the servants washed their feet and hands in preparation for the meal, all Maeri could think about were all the questions that she wanted to ask the Egyptian. That is, if she could find a gap in the conversation where it wouldn’t be rude. She wondered what kind of fantastic creatures he’d seen, or what kind of music they listened to in Egypt.
As Thad started up a conversation with the Egyptian Maeri saw her chance to ask at least a few of her questions. She jumped into the conversation with Zoser without a second thought. “Why did you come to the university here?” Maeri asked curiously. It seemed an awfully long distance to travel just to look at some books, or whatever it was that men did at the university. “Do you not have a university in Egypt?” Perhaps she should have stopped her questions there, but she found her mouth speeding ahead of her thoughts.
As she leaned in to the table to talk to Zoser around Amiti, her sleeve fell into the food on her plate, allowing some olive oil to seep into the fabric, but Maeri didn’t notice. She was too fascinated by watching this curious new character. She had never met anyone nearly this interesting in Judea before, and she wanted to know everything.
“If you don’t have a university, where do you keep all your books? Or do you just keep them in your homes? I suppose we do have a good few books in our own home…” Maeri’s stream of questions was interrupted by the sound of her mother clearing her throat, and Maeri looked down awkwardly. Her mother cleared her throat again, and Maeri looked back at her, to see her glaring pointedly at her sleeve on her dinner plate. Maeri blushed, hoping she hadn’t ruined her nice outfit, and grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe off as much grease as she could.
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All of Maeri’s nervousness at meeting her potential in-laws had disappeared when she saw that Zoser had been invited to the dinner. This was something that she could focus on instead of worrying about the impression she was making or whether or not Amiti or his father or brothers approved of her. Instead, as Tzephaniah invited them to sit, and the servants washed their feet and hands in preparation for the meal, all Maeri could think about were all the questions that she wanted to ask the Egyptian. That is, if she could find a gap in the conversation where it wouldn’t be rude. She wondered what kind of fantastic creatures he’d seen, or what kind of music they listened to in Egypt.
As Thad started up a conversation with the Egyptian Maeri saw her chance to ask at least a few of her questions. She jumped into the conversation with Zoser without a second thought. “Why did you come to the university here?” Maeri asked curiously. It seemed an awfully long distance to travel just to look at some books, or whatever it was that men did at the university. “Do you not have a university in Egypt?” Perhaps she should have stopped her questions there, but she found her mouth speeding ahead of her thoughts.
As she leaned in to the table to talk to Zoser around Amiti, her sleeve fell into the food on her plate, allowing some olive oil to seep into the fabric, but Maeri didn’t notice. She was too fascinated by watching this curious new character. She had never met anyone nearly this interesting in Judea before, and she wanted to know everything.
“If you don’t have a university, where do you keep all your books? Or do you just keep them in your homes? I suppose we do have a good few books in our own home…” Maeri’s stream of questions was interrupted by the sound of her mother clearing her throat, and Maeri looked down awkwardly. Her mother cleared her throat again, and Maeri looked back at her, to see her glaring pointedly at her sleeve on her dinner plate. Maeri blushed, hoping she hadn’t ruined her nice outfit, and grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe off as much grease as she could.
All of Maeri’s nervousness at meeting her potential in-laws had disappeared when she saw that Zoser had been invited to the dinner. This was something that she could focus on instead of worrying about the impression she was making or whether or not Amiti or his father or brothers approved of her. Instead, as Tzephaniah invited them to sit, and the servants washed their feet and hands in preparation for the meal, all Maeri could think about were all the questions that she wanted to ask the Egyptian. That is, if she could find a gap in the conversation where it wouldn’t be rude. She wondered what kind of fantastic creatures he’d seen, or what kind of music they listened to in Egypt.
As Thad started up a conversation with the Egyptian Maeri saw her chance to ask at least a few of her questions. She jumped into the conversation with Zoser without a second thought. “Why did you come to the university here?” Maeri asked curiously. It seemed an awfully long distance to travel just to look at some books, or whatever it was that men did at the university. “Do you not have a university in Egypt?” Perhaps she should have stopped her questions there, but she found her mouth speeding ahead of her thoughts.
As she leaned in to the table to talk to Zoser around Amiti, her sleeve fell into the food on her plate, allowing some olive oil to seep into the fabric, but Maeri didn’t notice. She was too fascinated by watching this curious new character. She had never met anyone nearly this interesting in Judea before, and she wanted to know everything.
“If you don’t have a university, where do you keep all your books? Or do you just keep them in your homes? I suppose we do have a good few books in our own home…” Maeri’s stream of questions was interrupted by the sound of her mother clearing her throat, and Maeri looked down awkwardly. Her mother cleared her throat again, and Maeri looked back at her, to see her glaring pointedly at her sleeve on her dinner plate. Maeri blushed, hoping she hadn’t ruined her nice outfit, and grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe off as much grease as she could.
It was entirely impossible to miss the unhappy lilt in Thad’s features. The ever present sunny disposition was so utterly clouded over that Amiti had a momentary jolt of alarm. But the moment passed, Thaddeus smiled, and everyone sat. Crisis avoided, Amiti thought with self satisfaction. He guessed the nature of Thaddeus’s concern and realized he’d made a miscalculation; he should have sent word that he’d be bringing an Egyptian. At the time, it had seemed vital to simply spring it on his family and they could deal with it. His father might have words, Thaddeus might be unhappy, Shiloh uncomfortable, but they’d rally.
This was going fine. It could have been better, perhaps, but mostly fine. Amiti was mostly focused on Maeri and impressing her mother. He was much less concerned with Zoser’s feelings, thinking that he’d done such a marvelous job to include the man...why that alone was such a gift! Except it didn’t appear to be that way. People reacted to Zoser in the way that Amiti wouldn’t have thought twice about prior to a few hours ago but he noticed it more keenly now. Painfully, actually. He still held the belief that Zoser was not of the Chosen People, and was therefore less. Except that Zoser was also a person who had managed to charm Amiti with something Amiti would have called friendship if Zoser had been Hebrew.
Stuffing that into the back of his mind to think about later, Amiti sat beside Maeri and followed after his father’s example, taking a modest amount of food, smiling at some joke or other, carefully never looking at Amarissa, but then thinking that was strange, and so looking at her, but no, that was odd too. It was easier just to look toward her as a general compromise and if he happened to catch the turn of her profile, so be it. But then, just as things were settling down into some kind of normalcy, blessed, blessed normalcy, Thaddeus decided that now was the time to address his anger.
Amiti could have kicked himself. He’d been sinful. He’d let Maeri and Amarissa distract him from his own brother, from actual reality. How foolish. Because if he’d been paying attention, he’d have seen the growing and evident dissatisfaction Thaddeus held, instead of merely hearing it with everyone else. His gaze swung sharply up and then he cast a wide eyed, questioning look to Zoser like the other man would have a better answer. But that was silly, too, because it wasn’t Zoser but himself who’d made the mistake this time. He was trying to formulate an answer that would satisfy and floor the table into some kind of rippling laughter that would wash away the awkwardness but it was too late. Zoser was trying to speak.
“Er...” the Egyptian began articulately. Amiti could have crunched straight through an unshelled walnut if it would have transported them all to five minutes ago when he could have dragged Thaddeus out of the room and hastily explained. “Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and....” Amiti sat up in his chair, surreptitiously glancing around the table. While he wanted to help Zoser somehow, he didn’t exactly want to be down in the mud with him either and he knew that making his shoulders straighter and his back taller wouldn’t help but it was the only thing he could do. That and keep folding the napkin in his lap into harsh triangles while he awaited the outcome of Zoser’s speech. “reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well.”
This was it. Wedding over before it had begun. Amiti could almost see his dreams of a prestigious career fluttering out of the window like mourning doves through the temple arches. Yonita would yank Maeri from this table, muttering about wastrels and foreigners, and no one would ever marry him after that kind of embarrassment. The other council members would laugh at him and show fake pity...it was the fake pity he despised the most.
Zoser’s eyes found his with such an imploring, puppyish ‘did I do a good job?’ that Amiti, despite feeling like he had just set one of the books of Moses on fire, managed a tight smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It might have been a pained smile. Or a nice one. Depending on how much one squinted. Amiti was now, also, feeling horrendously guilty. It had been a bad idea to bring Zoser. His act of idiot kindness was being thrown in not only his face, but Zoser’s face as well. ...well and the guests for having to sit near an Egyptian.
And then, like a light from heaven, Maeri burst into the conversation. Amiti literally sighed in relief and leaned forward to dip his bread into his bowl in order to eat his stress. He gave another long look to Zoser trying to convey feelings he couldn’t even put into words. Everything was tangled but Amiti, for one, wasn’t going to break into the conversation. He did, however, shoot his brother a warning look that promised this? would be talked about later.
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It was entirely impossible to miss the unhappy lilt in Thad’s features. The ever present sunny disposition was so utterly clouded over that Amiti had a momentary jolt of alarm. But the moment passed, Thaddeus smiled, and everyone sat. Crisis avoided, Amiti thought with self satisfaction. He guessed the nature of Thaddeus’s concern and realized he’d made a miscalculation; he should have sent word that he’d be bringing an Egyptian. At the time, it had seemed vital to simply spring it on his family and they could deal with it. His father might have words, Thaddeus might be unhappy, Shiloh uncomfortable, but they’d rally.
This was going fine. It could have been better, perhaps, but mostly fine. Amiti was mostly focused on Maeri and impressing her mother. He was much less concerned with Zoser’s feelings, thinking that he’d done such a marvelous job to include the man...why that alone was such a gift! Except it didn’t appear to be that way. People reacted to Zoser in the way that Amiti wouldn’t have thought twice about prior to a few hours ago but he noticed it more keenly now. Painfully, actually. He still held the belief that Zoser was not of the Chosen People, and was therefore less. Except that Zoser was also a person who had managed to charm Amiti with something Amiti would have called friendship if Zoser had been Hebrew.
Stuffing that into the back of his mind to think about later, Amiti sat beside Maeri and followed after his father’s example, taking a modest amount of food, smiling at some joke or other, carefully never looking at Amarissa, but then thinking that was strange, and so looking at her, but no, that was odd too. It was easier just to look toward her as a general compromise and if he happened to catch the turn of her profile, so be it. But then, just as things were settling down into some kind of normalcy, blessed, blessed normalcy, Thaddeus decided that now was the time to address his anger.
Amiti could have kicked himself. He’d been sinful. He’d let Maeri and Amarissa distract him from his own brother, from actual reality. How foolish. Because if he’d been paying attention, he’d have seen the growing and evident dissatisfaction Thaddeus held, instead of merely hearing it with everyone else. His gaze swung sharply up and then he cast a wide eyed, questioning look to Zoser like the other man would have a better answer. But that was silly, too, because it wasn’t Zoser but himself who’d made the mistake this time. He was trying to formulate an answer that would satisfy and floor the table into some kind of rippling laughter that would wash away the awkwardness but it was too late. Zoser was trying to speak.
“Er...” the Egyptian began articulately. Amiti could have crunched straight through an unshelled walnut if it would have transported them all to five minutes ago when he could have dragged Thaddeus out of the room and hastily explained. “Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and....” Amiti sat up in his chair, surreptitiously glancing around the table. While he wanted to help Zoser somehow, he didn’t exactly want to be down in the mud with him either and he knew that making his shoulders straighter and his back taller wouldn’t help but it was the only thing he could do. That and keep folding the napkin in his lap into harsh triangles while he awaited the outcome of Zoser’s speech. “reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well.”
This was it. Wedding over before it had begun. Amiti could almost see his dreams of a prestigious career fluttering out of the window like mourning doves through the temple arches. Yonita would yank Maeri from this table, muttering about wastrels and foreigners, and no one would ever marry him after that kind of embarrassment. The other council members would laugh at him and show fake pity...it was the fake pity he despised the most.
Zoser’s eyes found his with such an imploring, puppyish ‘did I do a good job?’ that Amiti, despite feeling like he had just set one of the books of Moses on fire, managed a tight smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It might have been a pained smile. Or a nice one. Depending on how much one squinted. Amiti was now, also, feeling horrendously guilty. It had been a bad idea to bring Zoser. His act of idiot kindness was being thrown in not only his face, but Zoser’s face as well. ...well and the guests for having to sit near an Egyptian.
And then, like a light from heaven, Maeri burst into the conversation. Amiti literally sighed in relief and leaned forward to dip his bread into his bowl in order to eat his stress. He gave another long look to Zoser trying to convey feelings he couldn’t even put into words. Everything was tangled but Amiti, for one, wasn’t going to break into the conversation. He did, however, shoot his brother a warning look that promised this? would be talked about later.
It was entirely impossible to miss the unhappy lilt in Thad’s features. The ever present sunny disposition was so utterly clouded over that Amiti had a momentary jolt of alarm. But the moment passed, Thaddeus smiled, and everyone sat. Crisis avoided, Amiti thought with self satisfaction. He guessed the nature of Thaddeus’s concern and realized he’d made a miscalculation; he should have sent word that he’d be bringing an Egyptian. At the time, it had seemed vital to simply spring it on his family and they could deal with it. His father might have words, Thaddeus might be unhappy, Shiloh uncomfortable, but they’d rally.
This was going fine. It could have been better, perhaps, but mostly fine. Amiti was mostly focused on Maeri and impressing her mother. He was much less concerned with Zoser’s feelings, thinking that he’d done such a marvelous job to include the man...why that alone was such a gift! Except it didn’t appear to be that way. People reacted to Zoser in the way that Amiti wouldn’t have thought twice about prior to a few hours ago but he noticed it more keenly now. Painfully, actually. He still held the belief that Zoser was not of the Chosen People, and was therefore less. Except that Zoser was also a person who had managed to charm Amiti with something Amiti would have called friendship if Zoser had been Hebrew.
Stuffing that into the back of his mind to think about later, Amiti sat beside Maeri and followed after his father’s example, taking a modest amount of food, smiling at some joke or other, carefully never looking at Amarissa, but then thinking that was strange, and so looking at her, but no, that was odd too. It was easier just to look toward her as a general compromise and if he happened to catch the turn of her profile, so be it. But then, just as things were settling down into some kind of normalcy, blessed, blessed normalcy, Thaddeus decided that now was the time to address his anger.
Amiti could have kicked himself. He’d been sinful. He’d let Maeri and Amarissa distract him from his own brother, from actual reality. How foolish. Because if he’d been paying attention, he’d have seen the growing and evident dissatisfaction Thaddeus held, instead of merely hearing it with everyone else. His gaze swung sharply up and then he cast a wide eyed, questioning look to Zoser like the other man would have a better answer. But that was silly, too, because it wasn’t Zoser but himself who’d made the mistake this time. He was trying to formulate an answer that would satisfy and floor the table into some kind of rippling laughter that would wash away the awkwardness but it was too late. Zoser was trying to speak.
“Er...” the Egyptian began articulately. Amiti could have crunched straight through an unshelled walnut if it would have transported them all to five minutes ago when he could have dragged Thaddeus out of the room and hastily explained. “Since only a few hours ago, My Lord. Councilman Amiti has offered great Judean kindness and....” Amiti sat up in his chair, surreptitiously glancing around the table. While he wanted to help Zoser somehow, he didn’t exactly want to be down in the mud with him either and he knew that making his shoulders straighter and his back taller wouldn’t help but it was the only thing he could do. That and keep folding the napkin in his lap into harsh triangles while he awaited the outcome of Zoser’s speech. “reception as I come to see the Damascus University. This dinner was a surprise for me as well.”
This was it. Wedding over before it had begun. Amiti could almost see his dreams of a prestigious career fluttering out of the window like mourning doves through the temple arches. Yonita would yank Maeri from this table, muttering about wastrels and foreigners, and no one would ever marry him after that kind of embarrassment. The other council members would laugh at him and show fake pity...it was the fake pity he despised the most.
Zoser’s eyes found his with such an imploring, puppyish ‘did I do a good job?’ that Amiti, despite feeling like he had just set one of the books of Moses on fire, managed a tight smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It might have been a pained smile. Or a nice one. Depending on how much one squinted. Amiti was now, also, feeling horrendously guilty. It had been a bad idea to bring Zoser. His act of idiot kindness was being thrown in not only his face, but Zoser’s face as well. ...well and the guests for having to sit near an Egyptian.
And then, like a light from heaven, Maeri burst into the conversation. Amiti literally sighed in relief and leaned forward to dip his bread into his bowl in order to eat his stress. He gave another long look to Zoser trying to convey feelings he couldn’t even put into words. Everything was tangled but Amiti, for one, wasn’t going to break into the conversation. He did, however, shoot his brother a warning look that promised this? would be talked about later.
Long ago, Zoser learned to deal with being put on the spot like this. As a student at the Scholeio, only the gods could tell when the instructing scholars would summon one of them to speak with little to no preparation before their cohort. With good fortune, he would be able to prepare his thoughts before speaking to the Council on advisory matters. This should be no different, right?
The tight smile that Amiti offered gave Zoser the permission to breathe again. He took it as a sign of things being alright, though the probing eyes of the elders around the table still had his spine sitting a touch straighter than usual. Perceptive to a fault, he watched the manner in which they dipped their bread and oil, noting the differences in the way they ate so as not to add yet another faux pas onto his ever growing list.
Blessedly, Lady Maeri kept the topic of conversation towards matters that he could speak towards with significantly more confidence. Dipping his head slightly in thanks to her for keeping the questions more curious rather than interrogative, he offered her a smile.
"Good question," he noted, a sincere compliment. As he carefully ordered his words, his hands took on a mind of their own, moving and elaborating on his words as he explained, "We do not..yet! We started building one three...four years ago. It is close, now, so I seek to, er...connect? see?...other universities, like Damascus. I have seen Greece...I was student and teacher in university Athenia..."
The genuine enthusiasm and the pride that he held in the topic at hand reflected in the way his face lit up but it sped up the pace of his words, ultimately making them more difficult to understand and his wordage in Hebrew far from correct. He caught himself, wincing slightly.
"I am sorry, my Hebrew is..." Zoser's hand waffled slightly in the air to express the fact that everyone in the room already knew - that he was not good in this language. "It is the one tongue I do not know well. I sometimes say I speak better Greek than Coptic." He gave his own teasing a laugh before it awkwardly crumbled and he reached for his glass, "Still, the Library in Alexandria. It will open and grow, and it makes me happy...and to talk too much."
With a self-depricating smile, Zoser gave a solid nod of his head and glanced around the table, his smile starting with Maeri and fading slightly as his glanced moved around the table.
Amiti looked as if he was in severe pain. His brother looked as if he would happily jab his knife into Zoser's neck. Maeri's mother and the other companion looked as though they were watching a dog speak for the first time, and the patriarch at the head of the table seemed as placid and pleasant - an ideal host. No telling what was held behind those eyes.
Taking a moment, he reached for the water - what he would not give for the honeyed mead from home or the wines of Greece in this dry, dry land - and sipped awkwardly.
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Jul 13, 2020 15:45:51 GMT
Posted In Pass The Salt on Jul 13, 2020 15:45:51 GMT
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Long ago, Zoser learned to deal with being put on the spot like this. As a student at the Scholeio, only the gods could tell when the instructing scholars would summon one of them to speak with little to no preparation before their cohort. With good fortune, he would be able to prepare his thoughts before speaking to the Council on advisory matters. This should be no different, right?
The tight smile that Amiti offered gave Zoser the permission to breathe again. He took it as a sign of things being alright, though the probing eyes of the elders around the table still had his spine sitting a touch straighter than usual. Perceptive to a fault, he watched the manner in which they dipped their bread and oil, noting the differences in the way they ate so as not to add yet another faux pas onto his ever growing list.
Blessedly, Lady Maeri kept the topic of conversation towards matters that he could speak towards with significantly more confidence. Dipping his head slightly in thanks to her for keeping the questions more curious rather than interrogative, he offered her a smile.
"Good question," he noted, a sincere compliment. As he carefully ordered his words, his hands took on a mind of their own, moving and elaborating on his words as he explained, "We do not..yet! We started building one three...four years ago. It is close, now, so I seek to, er...connect? see?...other universities, like Damascus. I have seen Greece...I was student and teacher in university Athenia..."
The genuine enthusiasm and the pride that he held in the topic at hand reflected in the way his face lit up but it sped up the pace of his words, ultimately making them more difficult to understand and his wordage in Hebrew far from correct. He caught himself, wincing slightly.
"I am sorry, my Hebrew is..." Zoser's hand waffled slightly in the air to express the fact that everyone in the room already knew - that he was not good in this language. "It is the one tongue I do not know well. I sometimes say I speak better Greek than Coptic." He gave his own teasing a laugh before it awkwardly crumbled and he reached for his glass, "Still, the Library in Alexandria. It will open and grow, and it makes me happy...and to talk too much."
With a self-depricating smile, Zoser gave a solid nod of his head and glanced around the table, his smile starting with Maeri and fading slightly as his glanced moved around the table.
Amiti looked as if he was in severe pain. His brother looked as if he would happily jab his knife into Zoser's neck. Maeri's mother and the other companion looked as though they were watching a dog speak for the first time, and the patriarch at the head of the table seemed as placid and pleasant - an ideal host. No telling what was held behind those eyes.
Taking a moment, he reached for the water - what he would not give for the honeyed mead from home or the wines of Greece in this dry, dry land - and sipped awkwardly.
Long ago, Zoser learned to deal with being put on the spot like this. As a student at the Scholeio, only the gods could tell when the instructing scholars would summon one of them to speak with little to no preparation before their cohort. With good fortune, he would be able to prepare his thoughts before speaking to the Council on advisory matters. This should be no different, right?
The tight smile that Amiti offered gave Zoser the permission to breathe again. He took it as a sign of things being alright, though the probing eyes of the elders around the table still had his spine sitting a touch straighter than usual. Perceptive to a fault, he watched the manner in which they dipped their bread and oil, noting the differences in the way they ate so as not to add yet another faux pas onto his ever growing list.
Blessedly, Lady Maeri kept the topic of conversation towards matters that he could speak towards with significantly more confidence. Dipping his head slightly in thanks to her for keeping the questions more curious rather than interrogative, he offered her a smile.
"Good question," he noted, a sincere compliment. As he carefully ordered his words, his hands took on a mind of their own, moving and elaborating on his words as he explained, "We do not..yet! We started building one three...four years ago. It is close, now, so I seek to, er...connect? see?...other universities, like Damascus. I have seen Greece...I was student and teacher in university Athenia..."
The genuine enthusiasm and the pride that he held in the topic at hand reflected in the way his face lit up but it sped up the pace of his words, ultimately making them more difficult to understand and his wordage in Hebrew far from correct. He caught himself, wincing slightly.
"I am sorry, my Hebrew is..." Zoser's hand waffled slightly in the air to express the fact that everyone in the room already knew - that he was not good in this language. "It is the one tongue I do not know well. I sometimes say I speak better Greek than Coptic." He gave his own teasing a laugh before it awkwardly crumbled and he reached for his glass, "Still, the Library in Alexandria. It will open and grow, and it makes me happy...and to talk too much."
With a self-depricating smile, Zoser gave a solid nod of his head and glanced around the table, his smile starting with Maeri and fading slightly as his glanced moved around the table.
Amiti looked as if he was in severe pain. His brother looked as if he would happily jab his knife into Zoser's neck. Maeri's mother and the other companion looked as though they were watching a dog speak for the first time, and the patriarch at the head of the table seemed as placid and pleasant - an ideal host. No telling what was held behind those eyes.
Taking a moment, he reached for the water - what he would not give for the honeyed mead from home or the wines of Greece in this dry, dry land - and sipped awkwardly.
His face filled with frustration and hurt. Out of everyone at the table, he had least expected Amiti to keep a secret from him. He respected Amiti even more than his father- he had assumed his brother would never make such a betrayal as this. He didn’t know who this foreigner was- he didn’t know his purpose here. Sure, Amiti seemed comfortable enough- but he didn’t know the intentions. The unexpectedness was what hurt Thaddeus the most. His eyes flickered towards Zoser as he spoke, and Thad narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you are telling the truth?” He clearly didn’t trust the intruder- he didn’t even know he could trust Amiti in this situation. What other secrets were there? He ignored Maeri’s questions to the stranger- it only mad Thaddeus believe that she had been in on the secret too. She was engaged to Amiti, he assumed it was easy enough to tell her before the rest of the family what was being planned. He shot a glanced towards Amiti, who he saw was looking at him. He knew exactly what look he was being given, and in any other circumstance, Thaddeus would have obeyed it. He probably would have casually listened to the talk about the universities and libraries…. Not this time- Thaddeus wasn’t in the mood. This would be talked about…. n o w.
The man boiled inside, his eyes fiery. How could Amiti? He ignored the irony- he himself had been keeping a secret. But he also didn’t bring an intruder to the sacred family dinner- it seemed utterly insane. He barely listened to the chatter, and instead glaring at Amiti. When Gwyn arrived at the table, that is when Thaddeus snapped again. He flung his fist down at the table, making all the plates rumble. He would not be ignored.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria.” He stated, his eyes flaring. “Amiti, how could you??” His voice raised in anger, and Thaddeus pointed a finger at Zoser. “Have you even prayed yet?” He stood up, and crossed his arms. He continued to look at Zoser. “Well, have you?” It was their way. If he was going to eat at their table, he needed to follow their rules. He looked at his father, and then again at Amiti. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.” With each word, his anger grew. He didn’t even know everything had been properly done- which he could have if things had been said to him before dinner. He looked over at his father, and then to Maeri. “Do you trust Zoser?” Maybe if she had more information on the intruder, he could calm down. He knew that Maeri could never mean harm. He still didn’t know why Amiti would keep the secret, but he was sure that Maeri hadn’t had the choice.
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His face filled with frustration and hurt. Out of everyone at the table, he had least expected Amiti to keep a secret from him. He respected Amiti even more than his father- he had assumed his brother would never make such a betrayal as this. He didn’t know who this foreigner was- he didn’t know his purpose here. Sure, Amiti seemed comfortable enough- but he didn’t know the intentions. The unexpectedness was what hurt Thaddeus the most. His eyes flickered towards Zoser as he spoke, and Thad narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you are telling the truth?” He clearly didn’t trust the intruder- he didn’t even know he could trust Amiti in this situation. What other secrets were there? He ignored Maeri’s questions to the stranger- it only mad Thaddeus believe that she had been in on the secret too. She was engaged to Amiti, he assumed it was easy enough to tell her before the rest of the family what was being planned. He shot a glanced towards Amiti, who he saw was looking at him. He knew exactly what look he was being given, and in any other circumstance, Thaddeus would have obeyed it. He probably would have casually listened to the talk about the universities and libraries…. Not this time- Thaddeus wasn’t in the mood. This would be talked about…. n o w.
The man boiled inside, his eyes fiery. How could Amiti? He ignored the irony- he himself had been keeping a secret. But he also didn’t bring an intruder to the sacred family dinner- it seemed utterly insane. He barely listened to the chatter, and instead glaring at Amiti. When Gwyn arrived at the table, that is when Thaddeus snapped again. He flung his fist down at the table, making all the plates rumble. He would not be ignored.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria.” He stated, his eyes flaring. “Amiti, how could you??” His voice raised in anger, and Thaddeus pointed a finger at Zoser. “Have you even prayed yet?” He stood up, and crossed his arms. He continued to look at Zoser. “Well, have you?” It was their way. If he was going to eat at their table, he needed to follow their rules. He looked at his father, and then again at Amiti. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.” With each word, his anger grew. He didn’t even know everything had been properly done- which he could have if things had been said to him before dinner. He looked over at his father, and then to Maeri. “Do you trust Zoser?” Maybe if she had more information on the intruder, he could calm down. He knew that Maeri could never mean harm. He still didn’t know why Amiti would keep the secret, but he was sure that Maeri hadn’t had the choice.
His face filled with frustration and hurt. Out of everyone at the table, he had least expected Amiti to keep a secret from him. He respected Amiti even more than his father- he had assumed his brother would never make such a betrayal as this. He didn’t know who this foreigner was- he didn’t know his purpose here. Sure, Amiti seemed comfortable enough- but he didn’t know the intentions. The unexpectedness was what hurt Thaddeus the most. His eyes flickered towards Zoser as he spoke, and Thad narrowed his eyes. “How do I know you are telling the truth?” He clearly didn’t trust the intruder- he didn’t even know he could trust Amiti in this situation. What other secrets were there? He ignored Maeri’s questions to the stranger- it only mad Thaddeus believe that she had been in on the secret too. She was engaged to Amiti, he assumed it was easy enough to tell her before the rest of the family what was being planned. He shot a glanced towards Amiti, who he saw was looking at him. He knew exactly what look he was being given, and in any other circumstance, Thaddeus would have obeyed it. He probably would have casually listened to the talk about the universities and libraries…. Not this time- Thaddeus wasn’t in the mood. This would be talked about…. n o w.
The man boiled inside, his eyes fiery. How could Amiti? He ignored the irony- he himself had been keeping a secret. But he also didn’t bring an intruder to the sacred family dinner- it seemed utterly insane. He barely listened to the chatter, and instead glaring at Amiti. When Gwyn arrived at the table, that is when Thaddeus snapped again. He flung his fist down at the table, making all the plates rumble. He would not be ignored.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria.” He stated, his eyes flaring. “Amiti, how could you??” His voice raised in anger, and Thaddeus pointed a finger at Zoser. “Have you even prayed yet?” He stood up, and crossed his arms. He continued to look at Zoser. “Well, have you?” It was their way. If he was going to eat at their table, he needed to follow their rules. He looked at his father, and then again at Amiti. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.” With each word, his anger grew. He didn’t even know everything had been properly done- which he could have if things had been said to him before dinner. He looked over at his father, and then to Maeri. “Do you trust Zoser?” Maybe if she had more information on the intruder, he could calm down. He knew that Maeri could never mean harm. He still didn’t know why Amiti would keep the secret, but he was sure that Maeri hadn’t had the choice.
Maeri’s eyes grew even wider as Zoser mentioned that he had been to Greece and spoke Greek even better than Hebrew. This man was so interesting. She had no idea how Amiti had managed to find someone who was so much fun to bring to dinner. “Oh, oh, you speak Greek?” Maeri didn’t wait for a confirmation before she jumped into the one Greek phrase she remembered. “Name mine Maeri. Glad to know.” Maeri parroted what she remembered of one of the basic phrases she had been taught by Callidora. She wasn’t sure her pronunciation was exactly right, and her wording was remembered from just a few conversations over a year ago. And yet, this was her one chance to actually try out what she’d learned.
Her mother turned to look at her as if she had grown a second head. Maeri had never told her about the greek lessons she had received, not because she had meant to keep a secret from her mother, but because she hadn’t thought to mention it. She seemed to be trying to decide what to say but was interrupted by an outburst from Thaddeus.
He seemed so angry at Zoser’s presence and Maeri didn’t understand why. He was a guest in their house and such a welcome breath of fresh air to the normal topics of conversation. Thaddeus was right though, there were laws and had Amiti made sure that Zoser abided by them? Maeri was sure that he had. Amiti was such an upstanding person. She was sure her mother would not have chosen him for her if she was not. As he looked at Amiti and then her accusatory, she could feel the tears springing to her eyes. This wasn’t her fault, it was unfair for Thaddeus to blame her like this and it was just as fair to blame Amiti. “You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said, attempting to defend him. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.”
It was only then that Maeri realized that she had risen out of her seat to contradict Thaddeus. Maeri couldn’t believe she had been that bold. That was it, she had completely embarrassed herself in front of her future family. Surely they wouldn’t want her now. Maeri went completely white as she realized what she had just done. She sank back in her seat hiding her face behind her sleeve so they couldn’t see her tears, though it did little to muffle the sounds of her sniffles.
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Aug 13, 2020 14:14:48 GMT
Posted In Pass The Salt on Aug 13, 2020 14:14:48 GMT
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Maeri’s eyes grew even wider as Zoser mentioned that he had been to Greece and spoke Greek even better than Hebrew. This man was so interesting. She had no idea how Amiti had managed to find someone who was so much fun to bring to dinner. “Oh, oh, you speak Greek?” Maeri didn’t wait for a confirmation before she jumped into the one Greek phrase she remembered. “Name mine Maeri. Glad to know.” Maeri parroted what she remembered of one of the basic phrases she had been taught by Callidora. She wasn’t sure her pronunciation was exactly right, and her wording was remembered from just a few conversations over a year ago. And yet, this was her one chance to actually try out what she’d learned.
Her mother turned to look at her as if she had grown a second head. Maeri had never told her about the greek lessons she had received, not because she had meant to keep a secret from her mother, but because she hadn’t thought to mention it. She seemed to be trying to decide what to say but was interrupted by an outburst from Thaddeus.
He seemed so angry at Zoser’s presence and Maeri didn’t understand why. He was a guest in their house and such a welcome breath of fresh air to the normal topics of conversation. Thaddeus was right though, there were laws and had Amiti made sure that Zoser abided by them? Maeri was sure that he had. Amiti was such an upstanding person. She was sure her mother would not have chosen him for her if she was not. As he looked at Amiti and then her accusatory, she could feel the tears springing to her eyes. This wasn’t her fault, it was unfair for Thaddeus to blame her like this and it was just as fair to blame Amiti. “You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said, attempting to defend him. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.”
It was only then that Maeri realized that she had risen out of her seat to contradict Thaddeus. Maeri couldn’t believe she had been that bold. That was it, she had completely embarrassed herself in front of her future family. Surely they wouldn’t want her now. Maeri went completely white as she realized what she had just done. She sank back in her seat hiding her face behind her sleeve so they couldn’t see her tears, though it did little to muffle the sounds of her sniffles.
Maeri’s eyes grew even wider as Zoser mentioned that he had been to Greece and spoke Greek even better than Hebrew. This man was so interesting. She had no idea how Amiti had managed to find someone who was so much fun to bring to dinner. “Oh, oh, you speak Greek?” Maeri didn’t wait for a confirmation before she jumped into the one Greek phrase she remembered. “Name mine Maeri. Glad to know.” Maeri parroted what she remembered of one of the basic phrases she had been taught by Callidora. She wasn’t sure her pronunciation was exactly right, and her wording was remembered from just a few conversations over a year ago. And yet, this was her one chance to actually try out what she’d learned.
Her mother turned to look at her as if she had grown a second head. Maeri had never told her about the greek lessons she had received, not because she had meant to keep a secret from her mother, but because she hadn’t thought to mention it. She seemed to be trying to decide what to say but was interrupted by an outburst from Thaddeus.
He seemed so angry at Zoser’s presence and Maeri didn’t understand why. He was a guest in their house and such a welcome breath of fresh air to the normal topics of conversation. Thaddeus was right though, there were laws and had Amiti made sure that Zoser abided by them? Maeri was sure that he had. Amiti was such an upstanding person. She was sure her mother would not have chosen him for her if she was not. As he looked at Amiti and then her accusatory, she could feel the tears springing to her eyes. This wasn’t her fault, it was unfair for Thaddeus to blame her like this and it was just as fair to blame Amiti. “You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said, attempting to defend him. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.”
It was only then that Maeri realized that she had risen out of her seat to contradict Thaddeus. Maeri couldn’t believe she had been that bold. That was it, she had completely embarrassed herself in front of her future family. Surely they wouldn’t want her now. Maeri went completely white as she realized what she had just done. She sank back in her seat hiding her face behind her sleeve so they couldn’t see her tears, though it did little to muffle the sounds of her sniffles.
Library? Now that was a topic Amiti found endlessly fascinating. He’d been to Egypt. He’d seen their many architectural achievements. It was easy to imagine what such a thing might look like - graceful pillars, decorated with the bright, intricate hieroglyphs gliding up each one. The building would shine white and perfect as a pearl in the afternoon sun, with its interior cool and breezy. It would be a place of learning and a haven for those of superior intellect. The university had rooms dedicated to books and to scrolls and while the library would never equal the Judean temple in Jerusalem, it would still be a thing he would like to see in person.
The moment of awkwardness from Thaddeus had dissipated and Amiti was holding onto the vain hope that it was a momentary lapse...but it was not to be. As though Thaddeus was bound and determined to make this dinner as uncomfortable for everyone as humanly possible, he then called Zoser a liar. This was an impossible position to be in. He knew for a fact that Zoser wasn’t lying; he’d worked with the man all day with scrolls and had been impressed by Zoser’s dedication to the university’s books and scrolls. Anyone who knew the true value would have done the same and anyone whose values were so wholly in line with Amiti’s own couldn’t be a horrible person. But to chastise his own brother in front of Yonita and Maeri and Amarissa, not to mention Zoser, as though Thaddeus was an errant child - it was not to be done.
He aimed a glare at Thaddeus, his eyes narrowing into slits but Thaddeus was nearly as stubborn as himself. Amiti inwardly groaned at the tilt of his brother’s chin. He’d seen it before, though not in a long time. His most vivid memories of it were when they were children and his brother was going to throw a temper tantrum. If Thaddeus threw one now, as an adult, Amiti might just die from sheer mortification.
Thaddeus’s fist slammed against the table and Amiti jumped, but, amazingly, kept his seat. Now his temper flared but he’d rather lick the dirt from everyone’s sandals than lose control.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria. Amiti, how could you??”
Amiti’s nostrils flared and his lips entirely disappeared into a perfect line. The gall his brother was displaying right now was so overwhelming that Amiti didn’t trust himself to speak. Thaddeus turned his finger on Zoser.
“Have you even prayed yet?”
“To Yahweh?” Amiti checked flatly with an amazing amount of calm he did not feel. “He wouldn’t dare pray to his heathen gods in this house.” At least Zoser better not.
“Well, have you?” Thaddeus asked, entirely disregarding him and still focusing on Zoser. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.”
“That do not apply to foreigners,” Amiti said slowly and with forced flatness, realizing how ridiculous all of this truly was. Had Thaddeus suffered a sunstroke? He must have done. Amiti’s glare swept to Maeri, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears. Oh that did it.
“You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said and Amiti’s heart actually swelled enough to bring him to his feet. Though, at her next words it deflated just the littlest bit. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.” Maeri rose as her words did and Amiti stared at her, then down to Zoser, then back up to Thaddeus. It was unconscionable that Thaddeus should make Maeri, of all people, cry. And when she sank back in her seat, he saw his duty clearly enough.
“Come, Maeri,” Amiti said, coming around the table and glaring at Thaddeus the entire time. “I believe there’s something you must see in the courtyard. Yonita? Amarissa? Would you like to join us? I believe Zoser and my brother have more to discuss.” He couldn’t exactly leave her mother out of it and without much waiting, he ushered the women straight out of the room, shooting Gwyn a meaningful look to do….something.
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Posted In Pass The Salt on Aug 14, 2020 20:40:42 GMT
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Library? Now that was a topic Amiti found endlessly fascinating. He’d been to Egypt. He’d seen their many architectural achievements. It was easy to imagine what such a thing might look like - graceful pillars, decorated with the bright, intricate hieroglyphs gliding up each one. The building would shine white and perfect as a pearl in the afternoon sun, with its interior cool and breezy. It would be a place of learning and a haven for those of superior intellect. The university had rooms dedicated to books and to scrolls and while the library would never equal the Judean temple in Jerusalem, it would still be a thing he would like to see in person.
The moment of awkwardness from Thaddeus had dissipated and Amiti was holding onto the vain hope that it was a momentary lapse...but it was not to be. As though Thaddeus was bound and determined to make this dinner as uncomfortable for everyone as humanly possible, he then called Zoser a liar. This was an impossible position to be in. He knew for a fact that Zoser wasn’t lying; he’d worked with the man all day with scrolls and had been impressed by Zoser’s dedication to the university’s books and scrolls. Anyone who knew the true value would have done the same and anyone whose values were so wholly in line with Amiti’s own couldn’t be a horrible person. But to chastise his own brother in front of Yonita and Maeri and Amarissa, not to mention Zoser, as though Thaddeus was an errant child - it was not to be done.
He aimed a glare at Thaddeus, his eyes narrowing into slits but Thaddeus was nearly as stubborn as himself. Amiti inwardly groaned at the tilt of his brother’s chin. He’d seen it before, though not in a long time. His most vivid memories of it were when they were children and his brother was going to throw a temper tantrum. If Thaddeus threw one now, as an adult, Amiti might just die from sheer mortification.
Thaddeus’s fist slammed against the table and Amiti jumped, but, amazingly, kept his seat. Now his temper flared but he’d rather lick the dirt from everyone’s sandals than lose control.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria. Amiti, how could you??”
Amiti’s nostrils flared and his lips entirely disappeared into a perfect line. The gall his brother was displaying right now was so overwhelming that Amiti didn’t trust himself to speak. Thaddeus turned his finger on Zoser.
“Have you even prayed yet?”
“To Yahweh?” Amiti checked flatly with an amazing amount of calm he did not feel. “He wouldn’t dare pray to his heathen gods in this house.” At least Zoser better not.
“Well, have you?” Thaddeus asked, entirely disregarding him and still focusing on Zoser. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.”
“That do not apply to foreigners,” Amiti said slowly and with forced flatness, realizing how ridiculous all of this truly was. Had Thaddeus suffered a sunstroke? He must have done. Amiti’s glare swept to Maeri, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears. Oh that did it.
“You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said and Amiti’s heart actually swelled enough to bring him to his feet. Though, at her next words it deflated just the littlest bit. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.” Maeri rose as her words did and Amiti stared at her, then down to Zoser, then back up to Thaddeus. It was unconscionable that Thaddeus should make Maeri, of all people, cry. And when she sank back in her seat, he saw his duty clearly enough.
“Come, Maeri,” Amiti said, coming around the table and glaring at Thaddeus the entire time. “I believe there’s something you must see in the courtyard. Yonita? Amarissa? Would you like to join us? I believe Zoser and my brother have more to discuss.” He couldn’t exactly leave her mother out of it and without much waiting, he ushered the women straight out of the room, shooting Gwyn a meaningful look to do….something.
Library? Now that was a topic Amiti found endlessly fascinating. He’d been to Egypt. He’d seen their many architectural achievements. It was easy to imagine what such a thing might look like - graceful pillars, decorated with the bright, intricate hieroglyphs gliding up each one. The building would shine white and perfect as a pearl in the afternoon sun, with its interior cool and breezy. It would be a place of learning and a haven for those of superior intellect. The university had rooms dedicated to books and to scrolls and while the library would never equal the Judean temple in Jerusalem, it would still be a thing he would like to see in person.
The moment of awkwardness from Thaddeus had dissipated and Amiti was holding onto the vain hope that it was a momentary lapse...but it was not to be. As though Thaddeus was bound and determined to make this dinner as uncomfortable for everyone as humanly possible, he then called Zoser a liar. This was an impossible position to be in. He knew for a fact that Zoser wasn’t lying; he’d worked with the man all day with scrolls and had been impressed by Zoser’s dedication to the university’s books and scrolls. Anyone who knew the true value would have done the same and anyone whose values were so wholly in line with Amiti’s own couldn’t be a horrible person. But to chastise his own brother in front of Yonita and Maeri and Amarissa, not to mention Zoser, as though Thaddeus was an errant child - it was not to be done.
He aimed a glare at Thaddeus, his eyes narrowing into slits but Thaddeus was nearly as stubborn as himself. Amiti inwardly groaned at the tilt of his brother’s chin. He’d seen it before, though not in a long time. His most vivid memories of it were when they were children and his brother was going to throw a temper tantrum. If Thaddeus threw one now, as an adult, Amiti might just die from sheer mortification.
Thaddeus’s fist slammed against the table and Amiti jumped, but, amazingly, kept his seat. Now his temper flared but he’d rather lick the dirt from everyone’s sandals than lose control.
“I do not care about the library of Alexandria. Amiti, how could you??”
Amiti’s nostrils flared and his lips entirely disappeared into a perfect line. The gall his brother was displaying right now was so overwhelming that Amiti didn’t trust himself to speak. Thaddeus turned his finger on Zoser.
“Have you even prayed yet?”
“To Yahweh?” Amiti checked flatly with an amazing amount of calm he did not feel. “He wouldn’t dare pray to his heathen gods in this house.” At least Zoser better not.
“Well, have you?” Thaddeus asked, entirely disregarding him and still focusing on Zoser. “Have you taught him our traditions before bringing him in? We have laws.”
“That do not apply to foreigners,” Amiti said slowly and with forced flatness, realizing how ridiculous all of this truly was. Had Thaddeus suffered a sunstroke? He must have done. Amiti’s glare swept to Maeri, whose eyes were bright with unshed tears. Oh that did it.
“You don’t have to be mean to Amiti.” Maeri said and Amiti’s heart actually swelled enough to bring him to his feet. Though, at her next words it deflated just the littlest bit. “Or Zoser for that matter. He’s a guest in your house.” Maeri rose as her words did and Amiti stared at her, then down to Zoser, then back up to Thaddeus. It was unconscionable that Thaddeus should make Maeri, of all people, cry. And when she sank back in her seat, he saw his duty clearly enough.
“Come, Maeri,” Amiti said, coming around the table and glaring at Thaddeus the entire time. “I believe there’s something you must see in the courtyard. Yonita? Amarissa? Would you like to join us? I believe Zoser and my brother have more to discuss.” He couldn’t exactly leave her mother out of it and without much waiting, he ushered the women straight out of the room, shooting Gwyn a meaningful look to do….something.