Chapter 309: Feeling the Pressure
After Talauia’s heavy revelations, Ashlynn put the rest of their planning session on hold. Everyone needed a bit of time to process and there wasn’t a need to rush and arrive in Crystal Lake City by a specific time. Instead, Ashlynn took Talauia and Heila to one of Amahle’s vegetable gardens so to prepare for the evening meal.
With the oppressive heat, no one other than Jacques wanted to spend much time standing over a hot stove to cook. Still, when they returned to Amahle’s home to prepare for another family-style evening meal, Ashlynn felt like she had to put something special together for Talauia.
"You know, I think my friend Georg would love to cook for you," Ashlynn said as she carefully sliced prickly cucumbers into long ribbons before rolling them around a mixture of nuts and creamy cheese blended with tart berries. "Most people only care about how a thing tastes, but you care more about the texture of a dish. I think he’d find that very special."
"Extra crisp, crisp, or crunchy," Talauia said with a wide grin as she munched on a sweet pepper. "Doesn’t matter what it is. Peppers, nuts, bones, it’s all delightful once you crack into it," she said.
Getting back to basic chores helped to ground the Thistle Witch, and the close camaraderie of the family that had formed with Ashlynn and Amahle’s covens helped soothe the sharp pangs of hurt that came with memories of the tragedy that brought her here.
Over dinner, Ashlynn explained their plans to Amahle. When she suggested that they hunt a Giant Thornback Alligator, however, the older witch surprised Ashlynn with a fierce rejection.
"I’m not sure why y’all are so eager to hunt the most dangerous of beasts in the Briar, darling," Amahle said, tapping the floor with one of her spider-like limbs for emphasis as she spoke. "Perhaps it’s my fault for keeping everything as safe as we have here by the house, but you’ve never fought any creatures of the Briar. You’re biting off too much more than you can chew with that one."
"It’s my fault," Ashlynn said instantly. "I thought that..."
"I ain’t blaming you, darling," Amahle said quickly before Ashlynn could go any further. "I just realized, y’all haven’t hunted anything in the Briar since you got here, but this whole time, you’ve had one of us around you, keeping all the critters away."