Family Dinner (week 1)

Your father is the first one to greet you as you return to the cramped dwelling you now call home, if you can call a drunkenly slurred. ‘Aye’good’yer’here’, a greeting. He has clearly been busy checking out the local Camelot taverns only stumbling back home to scarf down some food and collapse in bed, a disturbingly familiar sight ever since the sale of the farm went through. You’re not sure whether he’s punishing himself for failing to maintain the family plot or if he’s just stopped giving a shit now that he doesn’t have to be responsible for anything. Either way it easiest to just ignore him or nod along to his ramblings when he gets like this.

Ariana is already setting the table while Ma is calling out needless directions from the adjoining kitchen.

“How’d your day go?” you ask her.

She lets out a small chuckle and answers only with; “interesting.”

The way she says it makes you think something very interesting may in fact be going on with her, but you know better than to ask her any prying questions while still within ear shot of Ma.

“Alex,” your mother calls from inside the small kitchen room adjoining the hearth room, “Go tell your brother that supper is ready.”

“Where is he?” you ask wearily. Your brother for all his **** focus when it comes to crafting doesn’t tend toward punctuality.

“Up in his study.” she tells you.

You do in fact find your brother in his “study”, a dusty little broom closet with just bare enough room for a desk and a small shelve of tools. Your brother’s form is bent over a simple bowl which he is painting with a small thin brush in excruciating detail.

“What do you want Alex? I’m busy.”

“Ma says dinner’s ready.”

Adam sighs wearily.

“Fine. Let’s eat.”

Dinner is a **** affair. Your father sitting at the table blinking blearily, your mother sits on his left readjusting the placement of the bowls on the table even though your sister did everything right with them already. While each of them has been given most of a side to work with you are left awkwardly straddling the corner between your brother and sister, a glorious position granted by being youngest.

“Now I don’t want any of us taking advantage of Adam's generosity. I hope you were all out getting work like I asked you to do.” Ma stated before anyone could even properly begin to dish themselves up.

Your sister sighs rolling her eyes and wordlessly ladling stew into her bowl.

You clear your throat. This seems like the best time to bring up the results of your job hunt.

“I got a new job today, though I’ll mostly be out of the house while working it,” you tell her.

“Wonderful sweetie. What are you doing?”