So, first things first, this is what a steak and kidney pie looks like:
Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.
I needed to include that License information to use that picture, and including the image in the body of the post was really the only way to do that.
So, anyway, today’s scene is inspired by the fact that I had a steak and kidney pie for lunch today.
Shout-out to scenic Gananoque, Ontario.
As the Lyte Brigade sits at their corner of the Lyte family pub, Matilda unpacks her lunch.
“That smells good,” Pela notes. “What is it, Matilda?”
“Oh, this?” Matilda answers. “It’s a steak —”
“Oh!” Nolan says.
“ — and kidney pie,” Matilda continues.
“Oh,” Nolan says.
“Yeah,” Matilda continues, happily munching away. “I had liver and onions yesterday. If I can get some tongue next, that’s pretty much the whole cow!”
“Ugh,” Nolan groans, turning a novel shade of green. “Please stop talking, Matilda.”
“Right,” Nolan says, pushing away from the table and rising from his chair. “I’m going to go, um, anywhere else to do anything but this.”
Tancred nods in agreement. “I do believe this is a two-man job,” he declares.
Nolan and Tancred beat a hasty retreat.
“Ugh. Men,” Matilda mutters as she rolls her eyes. She shrugs. “Oh well. More for me. You’re missing out!” she calls to her brother over her shoulder.
“No, we’re not!” Nolan calls back through the pub’s door.
Meanwhile, Amara slides a little closer to Matilda. She wordlessly proffers a napkin.
“Thank you,” Matilda says, speaking through her next bite.
“Goodness,” Amara sighs. “I really should introduce you to Katherine. You’d get along swimmingly.”
“Can I have a piece?” Pela asks.
Matilda nods and slides over the plate.
“Wow. That is good,” Pela says as she takes a bite. “I should get my Dad to cook this more often.”
Amara sighs anything and wordlessly holds out another napkin.
“Thanks!” Pela says, taking the napkin. “Say, Amara, do you want some? It’s great!”
“Oh, Pela,” Amara says. “You’re getting … bits everywhere!” She heaves yet another sigh. “No, thank you, Pela. I’m fine. But you please enjoy yourself. Preferably with your mouth closed.”
Falcata speaks up. She stares down at her slice as she chews thoughtfully. “Amazons do not usually cook meals like this,” she muses. “And I am not clear which pieces are the steak and which ones are the kidney.”
Amara buries her face in her hands. “Not you too, Falcata,” she groans. She takes a deep breath and heroically resolves to steady herself. “No, Amara. It would not to do throw a barstool at them. They are yours sisters-in-arms,” she tells herself. “Besides, this is nothing you haven’t seen a thousand times worse from Katherine.”
“Are you alright, Amara?” Pela asks.
“You know, on second thought, I would like a slice,” she declares.
She snatches up a piece of the steak and kidney and bites down on it like a Turboshark on a seal.
Biting through the sublimely flaky golden-brown crust, Amara forgets herself.
“This is delicious!” she exclaims. “The crust! The gravy! These little orange chunks that I think are carrots! This is delightful!”
Pela silently holds out a napkin.
“Thank you,” Amara mutters, remembering herself, blushing deep crimson and daintily wiping the corners of her mouth.
“You missed a spot,” Falcata declares. “Right here.” She points to a spot on her own cheek.
“Thank you,” Amara says, her blush growing deeper still.
“Oh,” Matilda says through a mouthful of pie as the pub door opens.
“Hey, Dude Manguy.”
Dude Manguy, outta nowhere…
So, today’s the end of Cottage Week (I saw an eagle, a muskrat, and a water snake), tomorrow’s a short trip home, so I’m hoping to have tomorrow’s story up and ready in the afternoon, and after that I should be able to get back into a pretty good grove.
Also, a reminder that today, being Friday (I think), means a new chapter of Forward, the Lyte Brigade has gone live:
And, as ever, follow me via WordPress, social media, or my email list:
Sign-up for my email newsletter here.
Realmgard 