chapter 3- a talent for a gift

The Fall Equinox celebration started off true to form. With me immediately sinking my fork into cake as usual. Arthur, my baby brother, ditching Oormi two minutes into festivities. Then Oormi appearing at my table to complain loudly enough to give me indigestion. Same old shit just a different celebration and different season.

This time her complaints didn’t stop with Arthur.
“What is SHE doing here,” Oormi gestured at Calida.
I had expertly stuffed my face full of cake right before Oormi got in screaming range. However, it would only buy me so much time. Unfortunately, my brain was preoccupied and not formulating good excuses. I watched jealously as a vendor with a twinkle in his eye advertised Calida his wares. I almost choked when he dropped a gentle hand over top of hers.
I swallowed the cake to avoid sudden death. Silence tactic ruined.
“It’s a Talent for Gift swap,” I sighed. “That means EVERYONE is invited to come and show off their talents in exchange for gifts.”

“It’s different she’s bewitched,” Oormi spat angrily.
I squinched up my face. Okay time to try a different tactic.
“These parties were designed by my mother to give back and build morale. Are you really so selfish that you have to make a scene now?” I narrowed my eyes but Oormi didn’t seem convinced.
“If you’re really are that selfish don’t forget that throwing parties wasn’t the only thing my mother did to help people before she died,” I whispered.
I immediately regretted it. The look on her face was all I needed to realize that had been a mistake.

Luckily for me she hadn’t but turned in Calida’s direction and then things escalated.
Kacia, my brothers favorite court personality, began to sing. I was not the least bit surprised by the sultry tones that carried throughout the ballroom. I cocked my head to the side to see which vendor she was trying to woo with her talents. Brandy, the bottles lining the booth almost matching the color of Kacia’s hair.

Oormi was facing away from me but I could see her body go angrily rigid. That’s when the solution dawned on me.

I ungracefully bent into Oormi’s ear. People cheered as Kacia hit her song’s ending note.
“If you leave Calida alone, I’ll get Kacia sent away from court.”

Oormi turned to me as the vendor put the bottle of brandy in Kacia’s open hand. It didn’t take Oormi long to process the trade off. She gave me a solem nod yes and I couldn’t hide my grin.
Feeling triumphant I flopped back into my seat and stabbed a piece of cake.

Crumbs gathered on my lips. In my empty hand I cradled my plump cheek. I tried not to wince as Calida doubled over, and covered her face in a silent laugh. Guess the vendors were extra charming this year. A glimmer of agitation in my chest forced my glance to shift. I looked at Kacia her eyes lowly lidded veiled by her lashes. The white of her teeth peeking out and sinking into the plump of her lower lip. Arthur smiled slyly. It was as if their gazes were magnetically charged, aligning, and breaking to be pulled back together. Abashedly I dropped my head down and massaged the scrunched up space between my brows. I could feel guilt setting in. I shoved more cake in my face as if that might push the feeling down.

Then I felt a barrage of tiny thumps on my shoulder. Looking up I watched Calida’s lips as she began speaking to me excitedly. My eyes flowed over her moving mouth as she told me about the vendor she’d been talking to. She started to explain to me how the party worked, and I felt myself smiling.

“Let me tell you the secret of the talent for gift swap,” I whispered and she leaned in.

“All of the vendor goods are bought by the King before the party. Each vendor is supposed to award guests who show their talents a gift no matter how talented or talentless they are.” I kept my my voice low. I nodded back in the direction of the vendor booths. Calida turned to look at the line of them.

“As guests win more gifts their talents become more scrutinized before being awarded anything,” I sighed “The more expensive gifts are at the back of the line, so less talented individual might win several cheap gifts.” I gestured to the end of the line, “If you wait till the end of the line to demonstrate your talent for a gift you’ll automatically win an expensive one, you just can’t get distracted by the cheap ones at the beginning.”

Calida seemed to mull this over. I expected her to head back over to the booths to win her prize.

I felt myself press into the table as I reached for another plate. Blood warming my cheeks as I floundered against my round figure. However, in the state I was in reaching out further in front of me was impossible. I heard the China bottom of the plate scrape the top of the table. Calida scooted it towards my craning fingers. Despite my middle protruding so far that it was preventing me from reaching more food, I immediately started burying bites into my mouth.

I stopped mid chew feeling apprehensive. People had watched me eat before. Calida’s glance made me feel immediately weary. The stare she was giving me with that expression usually would signify someone wanting a bite.

“You want to try some,” I offered up. She just shook her head no. I felt perplexed but happily dug in more. I savored the flavor for a couple more bites. When I looked up she still had that strange expression on her face.

“You’re sure you don’t want some?”
This time her disinterest was signified with not just a head shake but also a hand gesture.

“There’s more food,” I motioned down the table but she greeted the suggestion with another no.
“Suit yourself,” I muttered and finished off another plate.

This time when I leaned against the table to reach for another plate the pressure to my stomach was too much. I let out a loud hiccup before covering my face. Calida looked like she was going to laugh.
“Is this what you were reaching for?”
I watched as the edges of her lips quirked up as they silently made quick work of the words she wanted to say. She slid a new plate towards me.

I muttered some embarrassed confirmation without thinking. She was still watching me with that look. However, it wasn’t long before I was too engrossed in flavors to care.

When my fork had cleared the plate in front of me I instinctively looked over at Calida.

“ Haven’t you had enough?” I felt my face reddening as I watched her talk. “You have to be able to walk to the booths with me,” she mouthed the words slowly to ensure I was following. Somehow that just made it more embarrassing.
“I’m not that full,” I lied.
Without any warning she leaned forward and poked her finger straight into my belly.
“You feel pretty full to me,” never in my life had I been more glad that her words were only visible and not audible to everyone around.
I couldn’t muster up anything to say. Before I knew it she was trying to pull me out of my seat.
“You can always have more later,” she informed me as I got to my feet.
———

I admiringly held a black sheep pepper shaker up towards the light. I handed it to Calida who was visually expressing interest.
“Cute,” I asked her. She breathed yes. I could tell by her lips she wasn’t forcing the shape of her annunciation. She was just talking the way she had before she lost her voice. She put the black sheep pepper shaker down next to the white sheep salt shaker. She then gently tapped the head of a calf salt shaker. I smiled because it reminded me of the day in the field. I smiled at the vendor and they quirked the side of their mouth anxiously. I was familiar with most of the vendors at the party but this was a new one.

We moved to the next booth. It was chintzy jewelry and feathered hats. Calida made a fuss of the cheap jewelry. I felt shame swirling in my heart that she would fall for such cheap imitations. Maybe more that I could pass them off to my guests. Calida sneezed when a dangling peacock feather brushed her nose and I decided it was time to hurry her along.

The next vendor, Lauchlan, smiled a knowing smile at me. I had done a lot of shopping in his bakery. Immediately I was drawn to the baked goods at his booth. I looked down at an assortment of french macaroons, cherry nut nougat, dark chocolate fudge with macadamia nuts and cream puffs. Lauchlan raised his brow at me. I knew he’d be happy to supply me with a snack. All of the treats were already paid for by my family. My conscience wouldn’t let me wouldn’t let me take something meant to be won by guests. I kept thinking about the sandy texture of the cherry nougat. A big soft bite of fudge with the crunch of macadamia playing over my tongue. Calida poked the side of my belly with her elbow, making the font of it jiggle.

“Next booth,” she ordered. I looked one last time at the treats before trudging down the line of booths.

We went down the line. I followed along burying our faces in scented candles, trying on accessories,and looking over odds and ends. We were only one booth away from the end and Calida perked up. She pointed to an engraved flute.

“ I want to win that one,” Calida told me.