Coans birthday is a large affair, his many friends, Malters and Epego’s extended families, farm hands and more had turned up. Something like 60 people or more with some seated outside at several tables serving piles of food. Enough to feed a small army!
Coan is at the head of the table with his friends around him and sometimes getting up to talk to others nearby, many are just standing picking at the food on the table while talking. Epego and Malter cooking and talking with all the relations.
Coan’s wearing a very impressive suit that looks like a normal three piece suit but very light blue in colour, moving waves and foam with a small cloak hanging from behind, also blue.
I myself am at a grill I helped Malter make, chucking some shrimp on the barbie as it were. I’m having a few beers with some of the other farm hands who have only seen me a few times talking about the different dishes in the area or the largest catches they have done.
Some of these have got to be exaggerated, no way there are fish 20 metres long!
I have had some questions from people who have not met me before and I did get some odd looks from time to time but I’m sticking to this story for now. I’m just a traveller who needed some time to recover from an injury and the Coans were welcome to accommodate me. I’m a prospective Adventurer who is travelling to Casupan to enroll.
Some buy it, others not. There definitely had been talks about the strange guy who showed up and fights Aikoki every so often, no shadow clones here today either. That would raise far too many questions and draw away from Coan’s party a bit.
With another tray of grilled fish and veggies ready I pass it over to one of the farm hands who takes it off me and places it onto the table. I then pull out some red meat that looks like mutton?
As I’m putting them on I add some spices and am about to get back to talking when an older grandma approaches, “Hullo youngen, who are you?” She’s wearing a blue shawl and if I had to guess about late 80s to early 90s.
“Just your friendly neighbourhood grill master, I’m Michael by the way.” I say holding out a hand which she shakes, “You're not from around here” she replies “Nope, down south. One of the small islands down there, just passing through.”
“Well I hope you have a lovely time here, I heard some rumours about you and was wondering if they were true?”
“Roumors, granny? I’m just an ordinary man making his way through the world, like my father before me.”
“Yes, they say you are a special case. Someone who could draw the attention of some interested people…”
Ah crap, what’s she fishing for? “Well anyone can say that, they're rumours after all.” Before she has a chance to respond Malter arrives behind the granny.
“Head Mother!, what are you doing here?” he asks, surprised and in a whispered tone. “Oh Malter, can’t I come and visit one of my grandsons on such an important day?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“You can, just don’t go fishing for Lord Head at Coan’s party please.”
“Oh don’t worry deary'' she turns petting his arm, “just saying hello. Now take me to Coan will you, there's so many young ones I’m starting to lose track, I’m an old woman you know.”
Breathing out a relieved breath Malter takes her arm, “Of course, right this way” he says leading her, turning back to me over her head he mouths “sorry” at me. I smile back and mouth “no worries”
The party goes on all day, many drinks and food have been eaten with some heading home a bit early cause they're too drunk or need to get up very early tomorrow.
The night is getting late and the final event is soon approaching. I've been off the grill and on the drinks for a bit by this point and so walk on over with the rest, crowding around the head of the table where Coan is seated.
Malter and Epego stand next to Coan and together say “Tonight, Coan has officially become an Adult! Today he takes his first steps as a Man with his destiny his own!”
Cheering ensues, I’m not sure if I translated that correctly as they were using a bunch of official, formal words there. Everyone including Coan grabs a drink and hoists it high, a few seconds of silence as we drink follows with even more cheering!
Some of the other parents who were helping Epego earlier with the cooking bring out a large assortment of desserts, hot drinks, cookies and more.
We all, one after another, go up to Coan and give him a handshake or hug, when I walk up and it's my turn Coan looks up at me and gives me a hug. When he lets go he says to me in a large smile. “I’m going to catch up to you!”
Laughing I reply, “Do so, if you train hard you’ll definitely catch up, I can feel it. Just remember to not go too hard at it.” adding a smile at the end. As Epego thought Coan might leave the farm sooner than later, I just hope I can instill in him some guidance, I think I'll talk to him another time.
Looks like most of tonight was ceremonial and as the night goes on more and more people start heading out, Coan has gotten quite a few presents from people. Mostly ceremonial stuff and good luck charms but also a few cool things like a book with an embedded crystal in it that can save any text you write. Apparently quite expensive…
It's so late it's the next morning now and the four of us are sitting in the living room, tired from all the cooking and entertaining of guests from today. I created a few clones to help Epego with the leftover cleanup and stand up.
“Coan, as you may have noticed I didn’t exactly get you a present today. But now that everyone is gone I figured I can give it to you now.”
“What? You didn’t have to do that, it's fine!” “Bah, don’t worry about it. You’ll love it!”
I pulled out the memory crystal and placed it in an alcove next to the large red crystal on the wall. I finally found out what this thing does. When people have crystals that can share images they need something to display it on. This is basically a large TV.
Accessing the memory crystal I pull up an image of Earth, a real image and not some drawing from memory.
“My present to you Coan, is simply a free for all Q&A about Earth. Anything you want to know within reason and memory I'll try to answer!”
Coan is absolutely gobsmacked, looking over to Epego who replies with large smiles and Malter who looks surprised. Don’t think she told him!
As the early dawn sun rises with Malter and Epego falling to sleep on the couch, some music can be heard from outside.
Stars, hide your fires!
These here are my desires
And I will give them up to you this time around
And so, I'll be found
With my stake stuck in this ground
Marking its territory of this newly impassioned soul