Connie, however, walked past me into the kitchen without even looking back as she headed towards a large table that had a bunch of food on it already, with more women gathering around it as others started bringing out hot food from the stoves that were along one wall. I could see Connie's mother talking to some other woman at the table about something before she noticed her daughter; then, all conversation stopped in an instant, and everyone looked at Connie, who was standing there awkwardly before her mother cleared her throat loudly.
"I see you brought the company back," Lutha Grashalor said with a warm smile on her face, but the tone of her voice showed that it was an order. "Come on in and make yourselves at home. Connie, show Galio to a seat so she can eat."
"Yes, mother," Connie said quickly with a bow as Lutha sat down at the head of the table as all other women did likewise around us except for one who headed towards me with plates in hand; it looked like dinner would be served soon.
I was shown to a seat, but right before I was about to sit down, a woman's head popped between my legs from under the chair and said, "BOO!"
I jumped back with a yell, but the woman that had scared me just started laughing uncontrollably as she slid out from under the chair and rolled on the floor next to it. I looked down at her to see a young redhead dressed much like Connie with a smirk on her face.
"Gilda! That is not how you treat guests," Lutha said sharply, and Gilda stopped laughing instantly as she got up off of the ground sheepishly before making her way back over to the empty seat at the table where everyone was now seated waiting for us so they could start eating without seeming rude. "Now sit down so we can eat."
The table was so long that I could barely see Lutha at the other end as all the women started to reach across for food to fill their plates. I looked at Connie to see if she was going to do the same, but she just sat there waiting until Lutha cleared her throat again.
"You can start serving yourself now, dear," Lutha said with an amused grin on her face that indicated that this wasn't the first time this had happened before, and Connie reached for a plate with a bright red flush on her cheeks. "And Galio, since you are our guest tonight, you get first pick."
I looked at all the food in front of me as everyone else watched intently; some were even holding their breath in anticipation, like they couldn't wait to see what I would choose. It all looked absolutely delicious, especially after not having eaten anything all day long; my stomach was begging for food, so I didn't hesitate to start piling food high on my plate. I didn't want to seem rude, but I was absolutely famished!
The others all reached for food after I had started, and soon the table was filled with laughter as everyone chatted amongst themselves. It seemed like there were a lot of inside jokes that went over my head, but I just brushed it off since it wasn't really important for me to know what they were talking about anyways. The food tasted so good that nothing else mattered at that moment besides being able to stuff my face without anyone judging me for it.
"So Galio," Lutha said after a few minutes when everyone had calmed down from their chatting, "I have been meaning to talk with you about something ever since Connie brought you home."
"Oh?" I asked after grabbing a napkin to wipe my face and finish chewing.
"How did things go when you met with Mother of the Bilashire family? She is usually pretty tight-lipped about things, so I don't expect you got much from her, but I don't think that she took Hilda; she is too tall for her tastes. I heard that you two went and saw Teresa as well. She is a good woman but watches over a shady area, but I am not the one to judge, considering how everyone sees us," Lutha said and then took a bite of sliced ham.
"The Balishire Manor and Mother were a more than interesting experience. I was left with many more questions than answers going there. What is with all the girls standing in the gardens?" I asked, and Lutha snorted.
"The garden is a place of pleasure. Mothers' daughters are supposed to stand as beautiful flowers whenever someone comes, but they don't stay like that all the time. Mother is a strange woman, but she keeps the part that everyone cares about running smoothly even in rough times, so most people see her as a strange but necessary evil," Lutha said and then took another bite of her ham. "And how was Teresa?"
"She was very nice, and I think that I will go talk to her tomorrow alone. I think that she might be able to get me some information about your daughter Hilda. I don't think she knows who took her, but she might be able to point me in the right direction. There was also Sabrina Richmer, whom Connie told me about, who was your daughter's best friend," I explained, and Lutha nodded appreciatively.
"Yea, those two were inseparable, but lately, Hilda had been talking to fewer people, from what we could tell. We think that they might have had a falling out or something, which is strange since they have been friends for years. Sabrina was a good girl too, and she has been taking Hilda's disappearance pretty hard," Lutha said with a sigh.
"I will try to talk to her tomorrow as well. If I can find anything out about what happened to your daughter, you will be the first people that I tell," I promised as everyone at the table nodded their heads in agreement before going back to their meals and chatting amongst themselves again, leaving me over here by myself wondering just how much trouble these women could get up too.
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