Inside the palace, two people entered the kitchen in silence. Bradok's jovial smile remained. Ania's half-smile flickered.
"We'll handle lunch today, so get out!" Bradok shouted in his usual tone, not surprising the palace kitchen staff one bit. As the staff exited and closed the door behind them, Bradok activated the kitchen's silence barrier and sighed through his grin. "Little Ania… Tell Dad what happened."
Struggling to respond, Ania stepped aside and grabbed an apron hanging on the wall. "At least… We'll cook while we talk."
"Okay."
The father-daughter duo began their quick preparations. Ania began peeling and separating the halves of the jrabda fruit while Bradok began butchering and cleaning a gigantic elk.
"So…"
"... So…" Ania spoke up but still struggled with where to begin. She still wasn't sure how to break the news about Oli, so much so that she had forgotten about most everything else she would have to recount.