[seasonal event] Fake smiles and happy never after

It is evident, to Kiada, that Auni has chosen the right place. When the woman speaks, Kiada’s head lifts and her hair becomes a dark curtain that she pushes back out of her face, nodding in response. As if Auni knew it, too, his tail wags further and his hooves click against the floor as if he simply can’t contain his excitement and dances for the apple the girl fishes out. It is then when Kiada notices that there is an event that they are preparing for, and suddenly she feels a bit foolish at being empty handed. Auni is patient, despite the hooves clicking on the ground in his excitement. His head tilts, ears fanning out as she mentions that he’d have to wait with everyone else. And he offers a quiet bray of agreement before he takes the apple and seems to take his time with it – though you can tell he wants nothing more than to devour it whole. Kiada turns her attention to Maea while she speaks of the feast, an event that Kiada has not heard of, but she takes the moment to let her icy eyes scan the place before she nods slowly. But then, the pale woman poises a question to her, and Kiada finds her gaze snapping back to her as it settles in. Another distraction – another conscious effort to remove herself from her feelings and focus on something else, something beneficial even if she didn’t know what the feast was for or why they did it. What were they celebrating? She figures she can find out, and she pushes up her sleeves a bit as she nods. “Ah, yes. Yes, I can do that.” She offers a bit awkwardly, but tries to give the friendly woman a smile. “What would you have me do first?” She questions, eyeing the prepping station as she ties her hair back into a long dark braid. She’s familiar with knives, should the woman offer to have her cut things. Though while she hadn’t used most of her experience in cooking, it was still a relevant skill. “I’m Kiada, by the way. This is Auni.” She adds a bit after the fact, realizing perhaps a bit sheepishly, that she hadn’t introduced the two of them before the other woman had asked for help. KiadA and here you come, with a shield for a heart, and a sword for a tongue.

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