“For all the differences that constitute different cultures, what makes for a good neighbor was surprisingly a concept that was almost identical amongst them. I feel that this shows how deep down inside, we are all not so different, after all.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“Hey there, Iqua, brought the chodes as you asked,” said Kars, the elf they saw earlier from outside the house. The way the rather old elf just casually hung from the side of the tree with only one hand and one foot supporting him showed his familiarity with climbing trees. He held a pair of fish by the tail in his other hand, and Aideen guessed he did so throughout the climb.

The fish were odd ones, and Aideen could see why they were named that at a glance, as the fish were around the length and thickness of a human forearm yet had large “bellies” that practically doubled their size as a whole. They had glistening silvery scales and were still alive given how they still tried to struggle out of the hand that held them.

In fact, as Aideen looked closer she could see a few frozen beads of water on the fish. Those probably froze over while Kars transported them from his place to Iqualea’s place and were just the ones not thrown off by the fish’s struggles. He probably kept them in a basin filled with water in his place to keep them fresh, she guessed.

“Oh, thanks, Kars,” replied Iqualea from further in the house where she was preparing something. “Come in and help yourself, I got some sap nectar warmed up.”

The so-called “Sap Nectar” Iqualea mentioned was actually a sort of alcohol that the local elves made out of the sap of certain trees, diluted with water and then fermented. She had poured some for Aideen and her charges to enjoy after she warmed them. It was a rather novel experience to have heated alcoholic drinks, but given the cold weather in the region, an understandable one as well.

One advantage to heating the drink was that its sweet aroma became far more noticeable, and they could smell it from the moment they entered the treehouse, even, as Iqualea had kept an amphora of the drink warm by placing it next to the mana crystal that warmed her home. The aroma matched its mellow flavor which mostly hid the alcoholic kick as the drink was also surprisingly strong.

It warmed their bellies and Kars joined them, seated cross-legged on the floor of the house’s main area while sipping on the warmed drink. Meanwhile, at the back, Iqualea took the two fish and expertly killed them with a single stab each before she dismantled them with a knife. She kept the guts, heads, and bones aside – probably for later use as elves rarely waste their food – while she cleaned the separated flesh with some water.

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Then she picked half of the flesh that looked better and placed various herbs on top of them before she started to mince the fish meat with her knife, simultaneously chopping up the herbs placed on them. It was a swift process that she was clearly used to, and in around five minutes or so, the slabs of fish meat had been reduced to minced chunks that had herbs mixed in with them.

Iqualea then scraped the minced fish and herb mixture off the cutting board into a shallow wooden bowl and doused them with some sort of thin sauce before she mixed them thoroughly once more. Then she brought the bowl over to where the group sat down and chatted along with several thin, crisp flatbreads she took out from one of the shelves in her house.

“These are made from roasted seeds we ground into flour,” explained Iqualea as she handed each person one of the thin flatbreads, each of which were larger than a typical plate. They were thin and crisp, and looked as if they would likely shatter with enough pressure. “You can use them to scoop up some of the fish and enjoy them together, give it a try.”

They did as Iqualea told them and broke off a piece of the flatbread – it was really more reminiscent of a thin biscuit or cracker, Aideen thought – and used the wedge to scoop up some of the minced fish mixture. The fish had been roughly minced, so chunks were still easily identifiable, as were the herbs and spices that had been minced along and mixed in with them.

Aideen brought the wedge over to her mouth and munched on it to find that the flatbread had a strong, roasted, nutty taste to it, likely because of the ingredient the flour was made from. That taste was soon superseded by the intense flavor of the fish mixture, however, where the fatty chunks of fish meat – soft enough to practically melt in her mouth – played a canvas to a melange of herbal flavors as well as some pungent spiciness.

It was a rather surprising flavor at first, but as she chewed the food and the flavors mixed together further, they mellowed to a pleasing taste that Aideen had to admit highlighted the fatty fish meat well. The fish had a clean, rich taste despite being a freshwater fish, probably local to the region as she had not seen its like elsewhere, and worked very well with its various accompaniments.

Before long, she broke off a second wedge off the flatbread and scooped up more of the minced fish, which garnered her a pleased smile from Iqualea. Hosts were the same elsewhere and enjoyed seeing their guests having a good time, it seemed.

The three siblings were mostly elves and had similar palates to their host, so it was not unexpected for them to enjoy the food as well, as some of the traditional meals from the Forest of Shadows were rather similar in style. Kino clearly found the herbs used quite intense as she had to turn her head away and sneeze after she gave it a sniff, but otherwise enjoyed the meal as well.

Aideen also noticed how Iqualea often took a sip of the warmed alcohol while chewing on a mouthful of the minced fish and gave it a try out of curiosity. She was pleasantly surprised with how the alcohol mingled with the flavor of the food in her mouth and made for a brand new experience. Contrary to her expectations, though, the mellow alcohol further highlighted the various flavors of the meal rather than toned them down.