The feast had wound down naturally as the evening grew late. The initial excitement of celebration had mellowed into comfortable contentment, people sitting in small groups sharing stories, children being carried to bed by tired parents, the cooking fires burning low.
Satou sat at the head table between Lyra and Jessica, feeling pleasantly full and genuinely relaxed for the first time in over a week. The food had been excellent roasted boar, fresh vegetables from the settlement's growing gardens, bread that was actually fluffy rather than the dense stuff they'd survived on in the early days.
Urgak had finally stopped making inappropriate toasts after Lyra threatened to cut off his ale supply. Kelvin had extracted the full story of the Richard Clay fight, complete with dramatic reenactments that had the younger goblins watching with wide eyes. Cassius had maintained perfect dignity throughout, though Satou had caught him smiling slightly at some of Urgak's more outrageous comments.
