Our Hidden Sins (Reaperbones/Sallin_Kari)

[Reaperbones]

Tali jumped back and dance with Henry until she reached her bed. She spoke as she jumped on it and laid down with the bear. "He makes a great pillow too."

[Sallin_Kari]

Still struggling to figure out what to say, I sit down on the bed next to her, "That's good..."

[Reaperbones]

Tali rolled onto her back as she spoke. "What games do the little elf kids play?"

[Reaperbones]

Tali and you play for a long time, and the games are varied. Everything from playing with her dolls to some building block games. Hours seem to go by as the sun gets low in the sky and Tali flips on the lights in the room. The bright light beat back the growing shadows of dusk, but you noticed empty glasses and decided to go get some more for you two to drink. On your way back you heard Alex finishing up dinner, and Kira putting away stuff in her workshop. You head back to the room to inform Tali that it seemed it was almost time for dinner, but you catch her in the entrance way of the house. She stood silently watching the front door as if waiting.

[Sallin_Kari]

I do my best to play along with the child, but I find myself quickly fatigued from it. Seeing the sun grow low in the sky, I let out a soft sigh, excusing myself to refill the glasses. As I head back, noticing Tali's lonely gaze, I set down the drinks on a nearby surface to kneel softly next to her, patting her on the head. I knew what she was hoping for... but if she wants to talk about it, I will wait for her to speak.

[Reaperbones]

(Sorry for the delay, someone said something that locked me out of the mood to do certain things.)
Tali was silent until you heard the clock behind you begin chiming. She spoke as it echoed. "Dad use to come home when the clock went off. He'd even wait until the last one to enter. It was so fun to listen and wait, but now it just hurts..."

[Sallin_Kari]

Her words stung like a needle to my heart. I gently stroke her hair, as I murmur, "I'm sorry." Unable to bring anything more, lest I hurt this child even more, I meekly apologize for her suffering.

[Reaperbones]

She steps closer to you and leans her head against your side. "Uncle Alex said Dad died protecting others, and that I should be proud, but I don't want to be proud, I just want him back."

[Sallin_Kari]

I know how she feels. When I watched my friends die, all I was told is that they died a 'noble death.' "That's why I hate war... So many died... for what? What did anyone gain from this? We all lost people, yet all we hear are platitudes about how proud we should be for them," I lament to the child, before giving her an apologetic look, "Sorry... I shouldn't dump my problems on you... Do me a favor and keep this from Alex."

[Reaperbones]

Tali held onto Lara and stood there silently only nodding when you asked her to keep the secret. The chiming stopped and a few minutes passed before you heard Alex's voice. "Come on you two. Dinner time."

[Sallin_Kari]

Taking Tali's hand, I lead her to the dinner table, trying to at least off her comfort.

[Reaperbones]

Tali followed with out complaint and you found the table set out with plates filled with mashed potatoes, corn, and meat covered in brown gravy. Alex spoke as he stood by his seat. "Any prayers you have to make before we eat should be made now."

[Sallin_Kari]

"Instead of giving prayer before eating, elves give prayer before harvesting," I explain briefly, before waiting for any prayers they have. I take a piece of the meat, seeing if it is something I can eat or not.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Just a reminder that elves can't digest lots of animal fat... Not that Alex would likely know that as only Jack was told when Alex wasn't around and was distracted by work.

[Reaperbones]

Kira watched you mess with the meat before smirking. As she speaks you notice that your quantity of meat is less than the others and it seemed different in size. "Hey Alex I noticed you spent a bit of extra time of Lara's salisbury steak. Something special about it?"
Alex focused on his food and tried to speak in a nonchalant tone. "Elves can't eat much fat so I just took a few extra seconds to pick it off. I need her fully functional so she can work."

[Sallin_Kari]

Somewhat surprisingly, he seems to know more about elves than his golem. Still, I expound on his explanation for Kira's benefit, "It's not fat specifically, rather the globs of fat in animals. What animals we do eat are game which tend towards being very lean, rather than cattle, which are tended to be purposefully fattened. Simply put it is too much to digest and can make us violently ill."

[Reaperbones]

Alex shrugged and spoke. "All I care about is that you don't get sick and slow down my work flow."
Kira chuckled and shook her head as Alex continued eating.

[Sallin_Kari]

With the conversation died down, I begin properly eating, rather than simply sampling the food before me.

[Reaperbones]

Kira occasionally brought up idle chatter with Alex about work. Once everyone was done eating Kira stood up and spoke. "I'm going to go grab Lara's work clothes. The dress will take a bit longer."
Alex grabbed all the dishes and nodded before going to the sink. Kira stopped by your chair. "Want to make Alex stumble?"

[Sallin_Kari]

Hearing that my clothes were being prepared, I begin getting up, pausing to look at Kira with a raised eyebrow. After a moment, I mutter, "Stumble?"

[Reaperbones]

Kira smirked at you and spoke. "I think you're gonna look very good in this outfit."