Blackbeard; The Legend

The First Supper

Akahana's stomach grumbled hungrily as she watched Darby set out plates full of steaming meat, simmering vegetable broth, and whole grain sandwiches that had strawberry jam oozing slightly from their crevices. The entire room was filled with so many unfamiliar yet delicious smells that it flooded Akahana's nostrils and stunned her.

"Dig in everyone!" Darby said, and the other Vikings took to their plates eagerly. Gjurd and Maiken bit into their food with fervor, as Hakon watched disapprovingly, book in hand as he picked at his food with a fork. Eira smiled at Maiken's rambunctiousness as she carefully cut her steak open with a knife, and giggled as Maiken got some jam on her cheek. Kanin absentmindedly stirred her broth as she looked at Takahiro with a longing gaze. Darby oversaw it all with an amused and content smile as she took a hearty gulp of her mug, as Dagfinn sat beside her, clearly bored.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Akahana was broken out of her stupor, Asmund, looking at her expectantly. "Your friends are already feasting." He nodded to Ryota, Takahiro, and Stormfeather. 

Akahana smiled nervously. "Sorry, I was a little surprised. There are a lot of smells around here, and I got overwhelmed." 

Asmund smirked. "Darby does have a way with her cooking that sweeps people off of their feet." He twirled his fork. "Go on." Akahana nodded, and grasped a fork, and she tore off a chunk of the steak. She chewed on the sizzled flesh, and wonderful sensations flooded her mouth. "Well?"

"It's amazing." Akahana licked her lips. "You were right. Darby's a great cook!" She carved another piece of the meat and gnawed on it, and Asmund chuckled. 

"Trust me. She's the best of the best." He took a sip of his broth. "So, how do you like it here so far?"

"It's wonderful." Akahana replied. "It's a dream come true." 

"Believe me, I know the feeling." Asmund said. "I remember when I first passed the test. The best day of my life." 

"You sure about that?" Maiken called from across the table. "I remember you getting your butt kicked." She cackled, and the others tittered.

"Well, I don't remember that particularly..." Asmund flushed an embarrassed tinge of pink. 

"You sure?" Maiken asked. "Hey, Darbs, do you remember who fought Asmund?"

"Ah, let me think." Darby tapped her chin, before her eyes lit up. "Oh! Yes, I remember now. Asmund was fighting against Erik." She sighed fondly. "I can still remember how Asmund kept fighting, even as he had bruises all over."

Asmund's face grew even redder. "Okay, maybe I did have a hard time. But what did you expect me to do when Erik charged at me?"

"Move out of the way, for starters." Dagfinn remarked, and Asmund crossed his arms, flustered.

"But, you could imagine the surprise on our faces when he managed to defeat Erik." Darby said. "Now that was something worth remembering more than the errors." At that, Asmund's chagrin lessened, and he regained his composure. 

"Thanks, Darby." He said. 

"No problem, kjære." She winked. "Anyways," She said. "I have something for everyone."  She reached into her pocket, pulling out a six-sided wooden die.

"A die?" Akahana asked. 

 "It's for a simple game. We'll each take turns tossing this die; if it's over three, then we can ask our new members a question. If it's three or below, then they can ask us a question."

"That sounds fun." Ryota wiped the jam from his mouth. "Let's play."

"Alright then, I'll roll first." Darby said, shaking the dice in her hands, before tossing it out onto the table. It tumbled before stopping, and a six was on the top side. Darby clapped her hands. "Just what I wanted. Now," she turned to look at the three of them, "how do you know how to fight they way you do?"