A warm welcome

Kela grabs both your hands. "You really look wonderful!" She insists. "And you're just in time for the welcome feast!"

You look at Siora questioningly at the mention of a feast. "That's right! If you're going to stay for a while, we need to give you a proper welcome! You already got the feast setup, Kela?"

"Yes, let's get Rosa over there already!" Kela insists as she begins pulling you by the hands towards the door. You are whisked outside and into the large central building. The three of you go through the main meeting hall to a side room with delicious smells emanating from within. When you enter, two women are seated on one side of a large table filled with food that looks like it was just brought in from the kitchen. Siora and Kela both sit down opposite these two, and Siora motions to you to sit next to her.

As you take your seat, the two older, more formally dressed elves address your companions in elvish, and Kela replies something back to them. The one seated nearest you smiles cordially to you which you return, still slightly confused at all that's going on.

"The elders only speak elvish, but they want to make sure you enjoy your stay," Siora whispers to you. So these are the elders? You wonder to yourself. They don't seem that much older than you or Siora, but you have heard that elves age differently from humans, and you have no way of knowing exactly how old they are.

The chef comes in and dishes out servings for everyone - first the elders, then you, then Siora and Kela. You thank her and she nods politely before returning to the kitchen, no doubt to begin cleaning up after the meal she just prepared. You aren't sure what exactly is in the dishes prepared for you, but it tastes very good and is of much higher quality than what you're used to in taverns catering to adventurers. As you eat, your mind wanders. All the elves you've seen so far have been women - Siora and Kela, their neighbors that embarrassingly saw you naked, now the two elders, and the chef presenting the food. You tuck that thought to the back of your mind as you enjoy your meal, intending to ask Siora about it later.

The silence does not last long, as one of the elders asks you a question in elvish. Siora responds for you, before whispering to you, "She asked for your name." You nod between bites. The elders spend the meal asking questions of you in the same manner. Occasionally Siora answers for you, but usually she translates between you and the elders, asking things like "Where are you from?" and "Are you practiced with a sword?" However, when you are asked "We're you traveling alone?", you pause. You immediately think back to the last time you saw Nell, just before you were captured by the goblins. The crumpled heap of metal and cloth that filled you with despair does so again. You nearly burst into tears running scenarios in your head of how you could have gotten through that battle unscathed.

Siora puts her arm around you, understanding that the question made you uncomfortable. "It's okay, I'll tell them you don't want to answer that." You nod slightly, swallowing hard to keep the tears back.

The questions get less frequent after that, but they culminate at the end of the meal with a simple question whispered by Siora into your ear. "How long do you wish to stay with us?"