Chapter 215 - 216: A s… spoom?
Cyrus set the bowl down carefully in front of Ilyana, steam rising in fragrant curls. He gave a small nod toward Isabella. "I’ll be back in a bit," he said, brushing a hand through his red hair before turning and striding off toward the trees, his broad back disappearing into the dappled shadows.
"Oh, it smells so good," Ilyana whispered, taking a deep whiff of the rising steam as she sank down beside Isabella. Her long hair swung forward, catching the last slivers of golden-orange light slipping through the trees. The setting sun bathed the clearing in a warm glow, casting long, drowsy shadows around them. Her nostrils flared again. "But... it looks so strange."
She peered into the wooden bowl nestled in Isabella’s lap, her nose scrunching up like a curious squirrel. The soup inside looked thick and murky, dark brown from the mushrooms, with tiny bits of meat bobbing near the surface. Fat droplets floated on top, glistening like beads of oil.
Ilyana reached forward, hesitated, then picked up the oddly shaped piece of carved wood beside the bowl. "And... what is this?"
"That is a spoon," Isabella said, straightening her back a little, proud and amused. She spoke as if unveiling the secret of fire.
"A s... spoom?" Ilyana tilted her head, lips moving clumsily around the unfamiliar sound. Her thick lashes blinked slowly, and her tongue peeked out just slightly as she tried to mimic it again.
"No, no—spooon." Isabella stretched the word out like taffy. "Say it with me. Sp-oo-n."
Ilyana’s eyes were glued to her mouth, her face comically serious. "Spoon," she repeated slowly, enunciating every syllable like a child reciting an incantation.
"There you go!" Isabella clapped her hands softly. "You got it."
Ilyana grinned like she’d just split a stone on her first try. "Spoon. Spoon." She rolled the word around in her mouth, clearly fascinated. "What does it do?"
Isabella scooped up a bit of the soup and held it in the spoon, letting it hover in the air between them. "It helps you eat. You scoop up the food with it instead of using your hands."