Two Eyes Cenote Sed Feast

this is an optional dining event open to all characters! feel free to make one reaction post with your character or break into wedding/coronation party threads!

@Tuna & @Eset can be tagged in serving threads!

we encourage you to use [wp] or [cp] for tracking purposes. have fun! <3

Head Chef: @Keiko
Wait staff: @Tuna, Inj, @Eset
Guestlist: @Toula @Rashepses @Akhtar @Eset @Senmut @Satsu (Ghost) @Ramesses @Naberius @Racharra @Cornelius @Mesen-ka @Nefari @Nazli @Legend @Khusobek @Zaahira @Tavina @Sayf @Ceridwen @Frolic @Meridian @Austere @Ines @Heph @Raiyuk @Ingram @Seal @Reverie @Moss @Chani @Germanicus @Chickadee @Bast @Suzu @Briar Cayde

There was music and chatter and it funneled now into the glittering banquet hall as guests were seated upon plush pelts before a long, limestone pedestal. Toula and Rashepses were last to be drummed in, introduced for the first time with the lavish titles of Pharaoh and divine Consort.

The room itself was a visual feast for the eyes of their visitors, but tonight even the Egyptians were treated to a surprise curated by the talents of their guest chef, Keiko, who’d prepared a menu in the distinctive washoku style. In each dish the patrons would taste natural flavors with simple components, a modern approach that deviated in ways from gaudy tradition and wholly emblematic of Pharaoh’s new reign; balance and harmony.

In the midst of multitude the fellahin began their service, placing aesthetically arranged dishes before each guest and offering mouthfuls of fermented cacti pulp and sweet-berry wine imported from the Red Palace.

In view of Senmut, Eset had seated their Pharaoh, so he might look upon her face as she tasted the delicacies from the sea- and a soft whisper to Toula’s ear would make it known that such a gift was from her Erpa-ha.

The evening coursed with rapturous talk and the sweetness of liquor, promising more than the palace itself would be made spectacle.

welcoming any tags for tuna for any wp/cp split off threads <3

platters are placed with a certain level of care; each little garnish meticulously placed despite the hungry eyes of the patrons who come before her. in some ways, she thinks of the glittering assembly, all in the name of celebrating the wedding of toula to her slab of polished onyx, and now the crown of golden light that sat upon her head.

tuna steps carefully, dressed in the common garments of the fellahin, though politely upgraded by the pharaoh herself in the name of the jubilee. kohl wings smeared against the edges of her eyes, she watches as she steps around the guests, offering a charming grin and making light talk as she serves.

but in the shadows, tuna tastes the portions meant for toula beforehand, ensuring that everything remained safe. tonight, her ears remained calm, listening, swiveling to catch even the tinest bits of gossip. she would not allow for such a perfect night to be wasted.

there is a small sense of assurance in her steps; a cowgirl walking along a worn path to her favorite whiskey barrel. collected, poised, and swaying easily upon gaunter hips.

a triumph. all of it.

the energy of the palace was golden joy and a splendor that would be discussed for the years to come..eset was truly in her element, and several times his brilliant green eyes could be found upon her before all their guests, glowing with a respect that only a man born from fellahin could manage.

both of them, spun from the good dark earth, and here now was eset, moving as water, uplifting this event into one of reverence.

senmut did not forget his lowest bow before the divine feet of pharaoh. he was hereditary prince and priest; his was an example for all.

courses.

if there was malaise in his heart, it was lifted by the grand theme of each dish. by turns was his tongue spiced, then piques, each flavor striking in its own element and harmonious in tandem. the prince found himself partaking in more of the cactuswine, and though he did not truly emerge from his introversion, his voice could be heard here and there, calmly speaking to one emissary or another of what trade agreement could be opened between their lands.

senmut decided then he must cut short his trip, or not at all; pharaoh and consort would linger on in muat-riya after their guests had dispersed,  but the talks he had tonight would determine what sort of work he would have in the week to come. eset would not have a rest once this was all over. she would be here, in the stirring flowery silence of the desert, waiting upon the lovers —

pharaoh was at once too near and too far; senmut saw the subtleties of how the hebsut put her mouth to the god's ear and flushed backward along his cheekbones, surreptitiously watching to see how his offering was received, and was fiercely grateful to eset for this moment.

he would go back to akashingo to handle the gifts of thanks that were to be bestowed, the messages, the responses to his queries for gathering tribute in the name of pharaoh; he would lose himself, yes; senmut drank more and found himself growing apart from them all. rashepses and their divine lord glittered together, reflecting a glint of deep affection back and forth between their gazes. she loves him, he realized, with no ill will nor jealousy, lingering over the sweetness of the dried fruit. may she flourish in it.

he would go back to akashingo. when eset returned she too could rest a while, and then he would go. yes. a finer plan than before. they were equals now, despite that she had called him pharaoh; she would be principal head of muat-riya, its events, its beauty, while his lot would be the mundane and the organized in akashingo, peasants made powerful. they must have an alliance and a respect at all times. 

senmut drank his third serving, and stood up, and wove somewhat with a rich laugh; he made his way to where eset stood in overseeing, bowing also to keiko. "you have outdone yourself, hebsut. our guests will carry the story of the finest meal they ever had to all the corners of the land." he favored her with a genuine, warm smile, and then set his attentions on the pale woman who had come so far to prepare such beautiful dishes. "obelisk keiko," for surely she was a princess or noble in her own land, "you honor both akashingo and muat-riya with your appearance here tonight. it would be exquisite to host you for as long as you wish to stay." 

later that night, keiko would discover a small wrapped hareskin set neatly in her quarters; inside would be five raw bluestones, gems found by khusobek in akashingo. deep royal, ribboned with cerulean and banded in navy, they held the cold flame of a sapphire.

and in that of eset, a single long plume from a red hawk, its tip kohled and dipped in scarlet paint made from deer fat and crimson soil. it was a symbol of guardianship and would be displayed in muat-riya wherever she deemed fit as her first offering to the gods in her new role.

for tuna, a glossy spill of iridescent scales; a skin taken from the largest serpent he had seen, wounded by an eagle. flesh scraped away, laid in the sun to glitter, it would shimmer like water when she lifted it, the snakeshawl with which he meant to robe her proud hips or delighted shoulders.

for inji, a small geode; silverstone on one side, stunning purple beneath, a little bed of softgrass cradling a further secret. into it had senmut tucked a pod of seeds, the nature of which would not be known until sprouting. for her, the lotus, a profusion of which would provide ample opportunities for her own wealth as they were quite rare. not so vain, nor visible, but its result was worthwhile.

and then his face lifted toward the dais, and his eyes narrowed first in surprise, then wonder. was it the effect of the drink, to create the glimmering forms of mournful women?

a blink and the image was dashed.

senmut sought air in the cool night of the lowlands, watching the stars.

this was an event more grand than she had ever witnessed before. larger in scope than makono's rise, than treva's wedding, than the passing of the queen.

it was like the sun had come to set unto the temple, despite the late hour. toula was radiant, her consort a charmer.

around her was set the first course. she tried to wave away the servants, tried to thank them with careful smiles and polite refusals, honestly too tired to imbibe; yet, nazli knew she could not refuse for long for propriety sake.

nibbling at the food.

oh, what wonderful food, though!

she had never seen anything like it. carefully curated, delectable, the sort of morsels fit for royalty. a taste, then, but only to be polite. some of the fish, some of the sides. a touch of sweetness somewhere.

nazli was nervous to take a drink of anything. when had she last imbibed? she would not darken this celebration with bad memories; so she withheld from that, and ate instead to appease the hard working fellahin.

there was laughter, and she spied upon some faces which were red from drink; there was the customary batting of lashes, implications which made her turn her eye away. there was senmut, and she smiled - until she saw where his attention was focused.

somehow her appetite evaporated with the drop of her eyes again. this time to her chest, where rests her amulet is suspended with reeds. the overflow of gaiety presses in from all sides - and suddenly she excuses herself; apologizing to the staff, smiling to toula if her eye is caught.

congratulations, spared and, wonderful night and i am so tired, goodnight.

she does not look at senmut again, and takes her leave quickly, seeking the open air.

it was not only senmut's eyes which followed eset that night. the sleek nightwoman was distinguished and rapturous as she had always been and in a way that tavina had not seen her before.

the idea of courses very much pleased tavina, who favored the boar and the roe most of all. she grudgingly considered who else could procure fish from the sea for a desert celebration except akashingo, and found herself warming and growing more talkative as the meal went on.

the duck fat melted in her mouth when she looked over toward eset once more; the sesh decided just then that she must control herself, goodness, heart racing and all, and so in time as their places were cleared, she produced a game of senet and loudly asked who among their guests felt as though they could best her!

liver, greenery, more meat; her stomach felt as though it would burst, but not so much as her pulse when she lifted her head helplessly once more — to look.

khusobek did not stay for dinner.

the crocodilisk would gladly dine on what was left in store-rooms later, and he hoped for the attention of the fellahin at this time; he could hear how each spoke, how each might laugh; they would drink together, servants out from the eye of their master, and he would tell them all the sordid things which he had overheard.

he cut a shining figure that night: eyes darkened, the long lines of his muscular arms accentuated by by green reeds and a sharp piece of mica tangled artfully at his chest, catching the light of the open ceiling.

"very good, eset," the mazoi said when he had crossed to her side after senmut departed; he plucked a date from a nearby table and ate it grinningly, "i did not doubt you and still you have surprised me beyond measure."

the strikingly pretty guest who had come to help with the courses was given a long appraising look, one that teased, one that asked, and then the guard was passing on through the hall to another assignment.

having discovered @Suzu and tousaint, chani was beside herself with joy! she spoke happily to them in the rapid musical speech of their sea-land, eyes widening at the amount of food — and the variety! what was from the sea she devoured, appreciating the uniqueness of its preparation; it was the taste of familiarity she sought.
chani discovered that while she did not care for the heavy musk in the taste of boar, the sheep's liver and the figs made her tongue dance with flavors that she had never experienced in sapphique.
if someone she did not know spoke to her, chani would offer a smile and a soft word, but more likely she kept to her relatives, dragging them to meet @Seal and @Heph and @Raiyuk, as several of them were also from the sea.
and the drinks! she decided it burnt her throat too much, the white one, but the stuff of deceptively sweet red liquid did not, and so chani soon found herself a bit bleary, giggling too loudly.

whether or not germanicus would admit it, the finery of akashingo, the sweet wines and rich food, all of it soothed the weary heart of a soldier.

it would be easy then to surrender mereo, to roam the desert for pharaoh until such a time as age itself took him off this world.

and the idea, as a pleasant buzzing filled his head, was not all unenjoyable.

the tactician was silent. he watched the man senmut and the way he looked at pharaoh, the way he gazed at the dark woman who roamed the hallway with gentle words and poised mien.

he saw the way the lovers regarded one another.

he saw the clouding of air above the dais; he heard things both overt and murmured; he would have a thousand secrets before this was over.

the decadence grew cloying.

and yet he did not excuse himself as a servant refilled his wine, and found himself remembering maggie and in what ways the fellahin served their guests.

welcoming tags for split off threads!

After the ceremony, she was again amazed by the opulence of the place they were led into. She felt a moment of confusion but watched their hosts as they were served, she herself unused to not gathering her own food and drink, but accepting it with a smile as she tried to recover from any awkwardness. As they transitioned she caught sight of several wolves.

@Ceridwin she would say hello to, surprised and not to see the other wolf and she wished to catch up over the food gathered. Somewhat skeptical of the fermentation. During the course of her travels she had been forced to consume all manner of things and the process did not agree with her if there was more on offer.

To the edges but still partaking in the feast she spotted a face she would not have thought in a hundred years to be caught at such an event. @Colt? She would question unsure of her own senses and perhaps she had gotten in wrong. But if he acknowledged her she might seek to speak and ask how his travels and hunting fared, introduce herself to his company and ask after what the winter heralded for them.

As they were seated she found herself near @Chani and @Suzu and another wolf as well. She greeted those around her and offered conversation where it willingly flowed. Sometime during the celebration she would seek out the wolf who had invited them and thank them for the opportunity to witness their new leader coming into her own and @Tuna who had shown them the way to the packlands as well.

When the formal ceremony concluded, an air of indulgence and roaring pleasure swept the crowd as wolves seated themselves across the long table where plush furs cushioned the ground. A buffet, just as ostentatious as the procession, of multi-course omakase plates, was served.

Seal seated herself beside @Raiyuk and @Heph. With every dish came a new exclamation. Look at this, Heph! Can you believe the taste, Raiyuk?! She gushed as novel flavors and their platings made Seal’s mind go kaboom.

Coyotes quickly filled guests’ classes with drink red and clear, never letting a chalice become half-empty. Seal lapped at it, preferred the sweeter drink, and suddenly found the conversation so much easier… not that it had been difficult for her before.

She felt the energy of the party pulse through her. When @Chani appeared the girl practically lept from her seat and cheered. She greeted @Suzu and @Tousaint with behavior a little too friendly for a new introduction.

“Come! Sit with us!” she clinked glasses with her companions, merry and full of life.

The menu had been constructed around a theme of balance. Harmony could be found in each plate’s design (Gokan; five senses), color (Goshiki; five colors), taste (Gomi; five tastes), and texture (Goho; five cooking methods)… but this did not mean the Kaiseki meal lacked panache. No, Eset had somehow procured the finest seasonal ingredients from different regions, much to the chef’s delight. Everything from rare abalone to mountain boar – no expense had been spared for this opulent meal.

Though she was Priestess foremost, Keiko was practiced in all ways of ceremony. What was food, but how one nourished the spirit? Washoku cuisine was one facet of her art and Keiko felt strongly that it would complement the Pharaoh’s glorious new regime.

As the dishes were served, Keiko made small adjustments here and there. A thistle for a pop of color. A sprig of dried spring ramp for garnish. She proudly presented the feast beside Eset and bowed deeply in reverence. Then, when Eset stood back, Keiko placed a paw on her new friend’s shoulder and regarded her with a kind expression as if to say well done.

After, the Shinshoku who had ordained the Pharaoh, named Senmut, approached. He was a man equally devoted to his culture’s Kami, and so he had the Miko’s respect. She returned his bow with her own, formal and graceful in motion. Later, she would find his gift. The cerulean stones would remind her of this event, always.

Meridian sat alone, observant as always, but lonely nonetheless. There were many foods here she didn't know of, and the priestess decided that it was best they be left untouched. Food poisoning was not on her itinerary. 

The boar, fig, and tealeaves were more to her liking. It reminded her of home. The Sundom. Meridian's thoughts strayed to those she had left behind. What would they think of all this?

Naberius was, without a doubt, stuffed. As each course was brought to all by the Fellahin, Naberius would happily eat and in between he would lap at the cactus pulp and berry wine both. In fact, if it were not for the drink keeping him lively, the Neb might have found himself deep in a food coma. 

Now, with his rougish swagger, he made way before the presence of @Eset. Eset, you've done fabulously. You and... He pauses, lips pursing. @Keiko. He remembered the name spoken on the lips of others. He had yet to meet this woman. With this, he meandered off, content to people watch as he did so until someone caught his attention further than a passing by. 

With the coronation, Muat-Riya was born. 

Inji would remain at the pleasure palace, as would Eset with the position as Head Mistress. Both women of which Naberius had a taste of, yet now his eyes sought another- a princess. A, more importantly, pure blood. One which he might consider for more then a concubine. @Nefari. Beautiful. Strong bodied with thick curvature. Royalty. Not to mention, she loved to drink. To flirt. To dance. Naberius was all too curious of what else she might enjoy.