Dämmerlicht und Herzeleid

12. Of the Nymphs

In a fashion similar to the banquets organised on the surface, Lillwen prepared a long table rich with food. Its shapes and colours were most peculiar. Some meats were familiar to the visitors, but many vegetables and plants they had never seen before. Lillwen tended to both the meat eaters among them and the ones who shunned it.

"Sit," she invited them as she sunk onto the throne at the centre of the table's long side. The other chairs were assembled from stone, overgrown with mushrooms and barnacles.

"This is magnificent. Thank you for your hospitality," Seonghwa said as he sunk to Lillwen's side and his husbands gathered around. Once Wynn ducked from a nearby corridor, she took the chair next to Lillwen.

With Yeosang next to him, Seonghwa marvelled at the dishes. Some were gathered on plates of stone, others in concave human bowls or sea shells. Each was mantled by a thin, translucent membrane to ensure the food wouldn't float away with the shift of the water. Lillwen waited patiently while Wynn introduced their guests to the food culture.

"This is tuna; the small ones are shrimps. Over here we have starfish and sea snails. For the others, we prepared seaweeds, mushrooms, and our vegetables equivalent to potatoes and carrots."

Nymphs ate their meat raw, but Wynn assured Yunho and his sensitive human stomach.

"You may eat these. The raw fish is kept to a minimum, and they are combined with sweet algae and our equivalent to rice," she invited him.

All dishes came together with some sauce Seonghwa wouldn't ask about. They weren't elaborate stews, since cooking was not a practice here, but combined, they resembled salads. Their scent was rich with the sea and Seonghwa beckoned his husbands to dig in. The one least apprehensive about the meal was Buddy. He perched on the chair next to Yunho as a guest of honour and greedily looked forward to every bite.

Their drink was thick and syrupy, but sweet. It was heavy enough not to float away on its way down their stomachs, and the lungweed seemed to help their food settle. Soon, everyone was satisfied with their plates. Hongjoong traded around a bit with Wooyoung and Mingi sighed in relief since he got to eat with his hands. Lillwen looked pleased by everyone's participation.

"I see you haven't brought your little ones today," she addressed Seonghwa while Wynn showed Wooyoung how to hold their drinking cups - more shells and sunken treasure from the humans.

Seonghwa nodded gracefully. His fingertips slipped some mushrooms past his lips while Yunho livened up at the taste of the starfish.

"I didn't want to distress them with the long voyage. At their age, they tire easily. However, with Hongjoong's aid, I will summon them for a visit soon. If you would like, you may attend." He missed his two babes and their eager squabbling and scrambling. Though he still hurt when he thought about leaving Morana behind, Seonghwa looked forward to their reunion even more. He caught Mingi sighing to himself as well, unaware of this new spot in his hearts that remained empty. Yunho kept turning around to tell his son about his newest discoveries, but played it off by ruffling Buddy's fur.

Lillwen didn't refuse the plan to open a portal into her realm.

"Indeed, I would like to see them. Wynn may help you isolate a room with oxygen, so they are at ease. Such children are peculiar to us nymphs; the ones bred between two races. None of my folk would ever have offspring with those of another ethnicity."

Mingi tried the meat, but he didn't like it. Before he could fumble for an unlucky excuse, Seonghwa reached past Yeosang to relieve him of it. He handed it to Yunho opposite him instead, to share with Wooyoung. Mingi threw Seonghwa a shy smile when he filled his plate with the dishes he knew suited the demon's taste better.