Here was a big sign and a chain across across the dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving."

[ofgoldenfoil]

WHO: Aurican, Kang, Daryl and Mako
WHERE: Kang's residence
WHEN: Thanksgiving
WHAT: Dragon family drama and just Thanksgiving drama happening at Kang's place
WARNINGS: stupid drama-rama with no llama thanks obama



Humans always find a reason to celebrate something. There's a day for pirates, which Aurican doesn't approve the idea of celebrating vicious criminals. There's a day of pastel eggs and rabbits, with vague religious overtones that doesn't seem to make sense with the rabbits and eggs. There's a day for the color green, of all the colors to celebrate. But Thanksgiving is simple enough. Just sharing a good meal out of the most recent of harvests, for family to come together and celebrate their presence. Aurican likes the simplicity of it all, and he's a dragon that rather enjoys the more complexities of life as he learns more of it.

Aurican has helped to set the table and the more minor of food preparation. Kang did most of the cooking, which was fine, because Aurican still hadn't figured out the issue over no, you don't eat raw meat as a human, stop that.

Daryl and Mako have been invited. Aurican originally invited Daryl (as Daryl became involved with Aurican's life as much as Kang's), but Mako became a part of Daryl's life, and it felt wrong not to include the invitation to her as well.

So everyone sat down at the table, food set and ready to eat. Aurican tucks his legs under him for a better height, even though he knows that he's going to have a case of pins and needles before the meal is done. "Is there some kind of ritual one does before eating? We don't have Thanksgiving where I am from."

Although he really didn't have much of anything back home, to be fair.

Comments

[governorkang]

Kang's apartment is spacious, with plenty of room for the small gathering present. The table's barely large enough to hold everyone and the food, though, and the food itself is traditional Thanksgiving fare. Aurican had wanted to do this the right way, so he'd taken the time to look up recipes online and cook the whole meal. He can't promise that it'll be amazing, though.

He's a little apprehensive about having Daryl over, as the man seems to dislike him for some reason. Hopefully, things will go just fine.

"If I remember correctly, someone leads a prayer. I don't know if there's a proper way to do it, though."

[redshoerevenge]

"I did not have Thanksgiving as well. I am not, technically speaking, from the United States of America," Mako said quietly. "So I do not know what sort of prayer people are supposed to say, but I know that I am thankful for every day I have in the company of those I have met here."

She paused for a half second her eyes flicking around the table and settling on Daryl's.

"Some of those people, have changed my life," she murmured with a soft smile, "and continue to do so every day." She would have said it through the Drift, but it was general enough to be said aloud.

[ofgoldenfoil]

Aurican flicks eyes eyes back from Mako to Daryl, to Kang and back to Mako before settling on Daryl again.

"Daryl, are you from an United States in your world? What kind of prayer do they have there?"

Aurican is not entirely sure about the existence of God or a god here, only if because the religious texts here seem to vague to satisfy Aurican's curiosity.

Apologies for any typos

[dirtyredneck]

"I was," he affirmed, leaving off the follow up thought of 'ain't so much united about it no more.' The world that was didn't get much respect or love from him even on good days. Instead of letting that bitterness out, he shook his head and shrugged, leaned on his elbows on the table, "Depends on what religion you was. If people wanted ta play it safe in mixed company, they'd just say what they was thankful for that year and maybe give a 'yubba dub dub, thanks for the grub, yay God.' Most people I knew was Christian of some sort or another."

He paused for a second, then looked over at the kid, "You got a god you believe in?"

its cool!

[ofgoldenfoil]

"I don't think so," Aurican admits. "I didn't learn of that sort back home in the grotto, and here the religions are just too vague for me to really claim as my own." Meaning its too human-centric for him to go to church.

When Aurican comes back to this world after he discover Paladine and Takhisis, he will look on to this memory as an amusing one of sorts, being the direct son of a god himself.

[governorkang]

Kang listens to the conversation quietly, raising an eye ridge slightly at Mako's pause and glance.

"I'll tell you of the gods another day." It's a lot of information, especially with Krynn having 21 gods that like to meddle and Aurican being direcly related to Paladine. "A general thank you, then, would probably be best. Daryl, do you want to lead?"

[dirtyredneck]

No. Daryl most certainly did not want to lead, but unfortunately he'd been raised in a society that required a person to do so if they were asked. It was considered even ruder to refuse. Whether or not Kang knew that when he called on Daryl like that didn't much matter, just made him dislike the dragon-man even more for putting him on the spot like that.

He had to force himself not to shoot a glare across the table, hie lips tightening and gaze dropping instead while he got control of himself. Then nodded, and took a breath.

"We uh, we gather here today ta give thanks for," he had to pause and take another breath, sorting through his thoughts so he could find the right words to at least make a passable thanks for the small, very eclectic group thus gathered. "...havin' the opportunity to have met each other and... and he with each other even when others we know and care about are... far from us."

A sharp nod to indicate he was done was given, and then a gruffer, "Let's eat."

[redshoerevenge]

Oh.

Mako had been very quiet during that exchange, filtering through Daryl's emotions even as she reached out to steady him. Her brow furrowed a little as she twisted her mind around the whole situation. There is resentment and jealousy, here, as well as a complexity of emotions that weren't all that easy to deal with. But she sank herself into the Drift as if she were wrapping her arms around Daryl.

"No matter where we have come from," she added in a very soft voice, "or how different our worlds are, this is a time where we become family, offering who we are and who we will become to guide and protect each other for as long as we are able. That we have this chance to be together, in this moment, it is a rare and wonderful thing. I can think of no better thing to celebrate."

[ofgoldenfoil]

"That's a lovely prayer, Daryl," Aurican says, completely oblivious to Daryl's turmoil. "Thank you, Mako."

He reached out for the ham, but his little human boy arms are too short to reach. He tucks his legs underneath his bottom for additional height, but it still isn't enough.

"Can someone pass the ham, please?"

[governorkang]

Daryl's reaction makes Kang pause, head tilting to one side ever so slightly. He has no idea what he could have said or done to warrant such dislike, beyond just being what he is. But, that doesn't make sense - the man doesn't know the history of his kind and doesn't seem to have a problem with dragons.

He doesn't want to cause problems on a day like this, though, so he'll stay silent for now.

"Well said, both of you," he agrees with Aurican, moving the ham closer to the boy. "I can't guarantee the food's any good, but I tried. I didn't know how to cook anything beyond roasting it on a spit until a few years ago."

[dirtyredneck]

The traditional meal presented meant there was more than enough food to go around. And had Daryl's diet not changed as drastically as it had in the last few months, he probably would have dug in to all the various fixings a lot more. But as it was, he had to limit himself first to small cuts and servings of everything just to taste-test what he could handle. Only after that had been established, as politely as he could when he realized he'd need to spit something out (using a napkin even to try and hide it), did he finally go for larger portions of turkey and potatoes. Everything else was largely too strong. Even the stuffing. Which was probably due to the celery and onions than the breading.

"It's ok," he managed to get out eventually, as he squared away what he'd be able to stomach and set out to eat his fill. "Spit roastin' ain't a bad way to cook, anyway."

If nothing else he could try to hide his frustration over the food situation by forcing himself to be cordial with the superficial conversation.