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"How was school, honey?"
She tries to make the kids' favorite meals on their first day of school, but when she asked Iomedae's favorite meal the girl first stared at her blankly and then after some extended clarifications proposed that they could roast a pig, and she can't actually roast a pig, so dinner is pork chops, and potatoes, and salad from the farmer's market. Iomedae is not a picky eater.
(The girl is in fact clinically obese. The doctor suggested they talk with her about cutting back on junk food, but the social worker said that was a bad idea, with a kid new to care - don't restrict her food access at all, just get her more exercise. So Jenny signed her up for swim lessons at the YMCA and for track and field at school. Iomedae balked at the swimming lessons on the grounds that swimsuits were immodest, and they do actually make hijabi wetsuit things but apparently not in her size. Hopefully track and field she'll actually enjoy.)
"Schools for adults will pay for you to go, if you are very good at sports, because they want you at their school. School is very expensive, so it's a good deal if you can swing it."
"...it is like, more like a steel cost than like a clothes cost?"
Robert has no idea what she means by that. "It's smart to train hard and do well at sports," he says again instead of answering that.
Iomedae is tired of being so confused. It is so hard to be confused all the time. She will order a steak and eggs.
Gabriel would definitely normally intervene and just buy a meal for any fifteen-year-old worrying about having enough money for food, but he knows how much Robert makes. Robert can afford Waffle House.
Nicole doesn't like being drenched in sweat, so she always has a spare change of clothes in her car.
She arrives slightly late at the Waffle House dressed in a strikingly elegant asymmetrical blue sundress (it's her last chance to wear these things before it gets to be really autumn!) with a white jacket and some ballet pumps (she normally likes kitten heels with this but thinks those are inappropriate in a Waffle House). She's pulled her hair up into a high ponytail so that it won't stick to the back of her neck and she can cool off. It's so delightful to be in light breezy clothes after the hot confines of armour that she almost forgets to be dignified and not twirl her pleated skirt around like she's twelve.
Nicole sits down directly next to Jenny, flags down the waitress with a tiny wave and a polite smile, and asks, "Can I just get steak and eggs? And the infinite coffee? Thank you."
Once everyone has settled down, Cináed will start asking questions. "So I'm trying to plan out a meal rota for Kalomeros Baronial at War of the Wings and I'm trying to get a better sense of numbers. Who all is camping with us at war?"
This question is directed at the people who are listening, which is only about half of people because the other half are ordering food or inhaling food or having side conversations about Italian poetry forms or looking at pictures of Haley's new kitten.
Iomedae knows what a war is from her history class! She is not surprised the order is going to fight in a war, that being what knightly orders do. America like Taldor is as far as she's been able to determine in several declared and several undeclared wars at all times; she kind of feels like it ought to be possible to do better than that but no one ever has; Azlant was like that too.
"Who war with?"
"...war is over who most steel man?" Iomedae would dearly like to not get involved in that. It is a great way to die accomplishing nothing.
"War of the Wings is Atlantia's own war, it's not like external wars like - Pennsic is always East versus Mid every year -"
"Except when it's East and Mid versus everyone," Haley chimes in.
"- right, yeah, but War of the Wings is different every year because it's Atlantia's own war, I'm not sure what it is this year. Last year it was north vs south I think?"
Haley has already whipped out her phone and is Googling. "Looks like we're doing East versus West this year which is delightful for all of us smack bang in the middle."
"Let's not pretend they don't just rebalance the teams according to whatever would be most fun on the day."
Iomedae looks confusedly at Lucy who seems to have a principled stance that killing is barely even nonevil when in uncomplicated self-defense, and who does not seem to be objecting to ...war?
"People sworded, in war?" she asks.
".....hmmmm?" Lucia was busy inhaling an entire bowl of potato and is now considering waffles. Waffles are so good but she is trying to exist on a budget. "Oh - yeah we use swords for war, what else would we use? I guess there's archery and siege?"
"Ohhhhhhhhh. Is - see who is best sword, not many people die?"
"Nobody will actually die, like, nobody, don't worry. It's just what we call a big multiple day camping event. This one is a week long and it's Atlantia's own war, so it's all friends and it's very cosy."