head towards
the hatch where the rhino faced creature stood looking bored.
“ Makeo, get him some grub. You’re hungry yeah?” he said to
Jared.
Jared nodded. “Y ou
don’t know how much,” and Bue laughed.
“ Get him everything, tell Penny
it’s for him in case she kicks off .”
The other boy made for the
hatch. He took a tray from a stack to the right of the serving
window a nd approached the
disinterested looking woman. She lazily shifted her eyes in his
direction as he walked up.
“ What
do you want?” she growled as the boy stood grinning brightly in
front of her.
“ A portion of your best stew and vegetables and
one of your delicious puddings please Miss Penny ,” Makeo said keeping his forced smile plastered
to his face.
“ You’ve already eaten you greedy little
twit !” She fumed, her grip on
the ladle tightening and what looked like steam erupting from her
nostrils as she snorted loudly. “Do you want me to call
Madame?”
The boy’s smile slipped only fractionally and he continued
beaming as he replied . “It’s
not for me Miss, it’s for that new boy.” He turned around and
pointed to where Jared sat, the object of everyone’s attention.
Anticipating what Penny might say next he then added, “he’s a guest
of Madame Veer, he’s not a pupil here.”
Penny took a wooden plate,
separated into various compartments for different portions and
snorted again. “Well, I don’t see why he can’t come and get it
himself. I work here all day and it would be nice if I was
introduced to a guest occasionally ,” she grumbled. Penny used the ladle to scoop up a portion
of a meaty stew and then putting it down took a spoon and put some
mashed potato on top of it. The she put an assortment of vegetables
in the slot next to it and finally a sweet dish next to that in the
remaining compartment. “Cups are over there” she gestured to Makeo,
who smiled brightly and turned around. His smile dissapeared as he
grimaced and grabbed a metal cup from the stack near the trays and
made his way back to Jared and Bue.
Bue was
holding court, the other kids around him silent as Bue probed Jared
with questions.
“ So
you’re not from here? Where are you from?”
Jared paused, not sure what to
say. “Errr, a long way away .”
Bue
didn’t seem fazed but pressed on. “So, how do you know the
Caracalic? You know he’s the Queen’s bodyguard?”
“ Err, yeah I was
told .”
Another
boy piped up. “How long are you staying for?”
“ Not sure, maybe just
tonight .”
Bue looked up at Makeo, hovering over them with the
tray.
“ Here you go mate, dig in. It’s
not the best but it’s not bad either .”
Jared could smell the stew and
saliva instantly sprang into his mouth. He was so hungry and
couldn’t remember the last time he ate. Grabbing the fork next to
the segmented plate he stuck it into the meaty sauce and pushed the
food into his mouth quickly. It was hot and he had just enough self
control left to remember to chew before swallowing it. He shovelled
in another mouthful and then tore off a strip of bread from the
cob Makeo had brought him. He
continued to wolf down the stew, thinking he’d never tasted
anything so delicious in his life.
Bue and the other boys watched
him and Bue chuckled. “Steady on mate, you’ll do yourself an
injury .”
Jared
barey heard him and continued to eat. He devoured the stew and
bread and then started on the vegetables, the like of which he’d
never seen before. One was purple and spiral shaped, another looked
like a cactus but the spines were soft and bendy as he cut through
them with his knife.
When he’d finished the
vegetables he noisily sloshed down several gulps of water from the
cup that Makeo had filled for
him. The other boys still watched him in silence as he started on
his pudding. It was like the sponge puddings his grandmother used
to make but when he bit into what he thought
the hatch where the rhino faced creature stood looking bored.
“ Makeo, get him some grub. You’re hungry yeah?” he said to
Jared.
Jared nodded. “Y ou
don’t know how much,” and Bue laughed.
“ Get him everything, tell Penny
it’s for him in case she kicks off .”
The other boy made for the
hatch. He took a tray from a stack to the right of the serving
window a nd approached the
disinterested looking woman. She lazily shifted her eyes in his
direction as he walked up.
“ What
do you want?” she growled as the boy stood grinning brightly in
front of her.
“ A portion of your best stew and vegetables and
one of your delicious puddings please Miss Penny ,” Makeo said keeping his forced smile plastered
to his face.
“ You’ve already eaten you greedy little
twit !” She fumed, her grip on
the ladle tightening and what looked like steam erupting from her
nostrils as she snorted loudly. “Do you want me to call
Madame?”
The boy’s smile slipped only fractionally and he continued
beaming as he replied . “It’s
not for me Miss, it’s for that new boy.” He turned around and
pointed to where Jared sat, the object of everyone’s attention.
Anticipating what Penny might say next he then added, “he’s a guest
of Madame Veer, he’s not a pupil here.”
Penny took a wooden plate,
separated into various compartments for different portions and
snorted again. “Well, I don’t see why he can’t come and get it
himself. I work here all day and it would be nice if I was
introduced to a guest occasionally ,” she grumbled. Penny used the ladle to scoop up a portion
of a meaty stew and then putting it down took a spoon and put some
mashed potato on top of it. The she put an assortment of vegetables
in the slot next to it and finally a sweet dish next to that in the
remaining compartment. “Cups are over there” she gestured to Makeo,
who smiled brightly and turned around. His smile dissapeared as he
grimaced and grabbed a metal cup from the stack near the trays and
made his way back to Jared and Bue.
Bue was
holding court, the other kids around him silent as Bue probed Jared
with questions.
“ So
you’re not from here? Where are you from?”
Jared paused, not sure what to
say. “Errr, a long way away .”
Bue
didn’t seem fazed but pressed on. “So, how do you know the
Caracalic? You know he’s the Queen’s bodyguard?”
“ Err, yeah I was
told .”
Another
boy piped up. “How long are you staying for?”
“ Not sure, maybe just
tonight .”
Bue looked up at Makeo, hovering over them with the
tray.
“ Here you go mate, dig in. It’s
not the best but it’s not bad either .”
Jared could smell the stew and
saliva instantly sprang into his mouth. He was so hungry and
couldn’t remember the last time he ate. Grabbing the fork next to
the segmented plate he stuck it into the meaty sauce and pushed the
food into his mouth quickly. It was hot and he had just enough self
control left to remember to chew before swallowing it. He shovelled
in another mouthful and then tore off a strip of bread from the
cob Makeo had brought him. He
continued to wolf down the stew, thinking he’d never tasted
anything so delicious in his life.
Bue and the other boys watched
him and Bue chuckled. “Steady on mate, you’ll do yourself an
injury .”
Jared
barey heard him and continued to eat. He devoured the stew and
bread and then started on the vegetables, the like of which he’d
never seen before. One was purple and spiral shaped, another looked
like a cactus but the spines were soft and bendy as he cut through
them with his knife.
When he’d finished the
vegetables he noisily sloshed down several gulps of water from the
cup that Makeo had filled for
him. The other boys still watched him in silence as he started on
his pudding. It was like the sponge puddings his grandmother used
to make but when he bit into what he thought
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