Marco startles awake, stretching his sleep-stiffened muscles, he tries to remember where he is, why he is waking up in a huge cream-colored bed in a bright light filled room. The previous day comes rushing back to him and a sob threatens to escape his lips, small tears run down his face.

  “I cannot believe that this whole thing wasn’t a dream,” Marco fights to get himself back together, rubbing the sleep and tears out of his eyes. He fights with himself as he battles frustration at his weakness. “Quit that toxic masculinity bullshit Marco, you are allowed to feel emotions and process feelings.”

  Marco slaps his cheeks lightly and stands up slowly, completing his stretching with a reach for his feet, holding that pose for ten seconds before taking a deep breath and relaxing.

  He searches more of the room, entering the large walk-in closet and finding more clothes in his size. He picks out a pair of gray slacks and a pale green button up shirt that matches his eyes.

  Rolling up the sleeves and making his short hair cooperate into a little swoosh on his head, Marco takes a deep breath and walks back to the door of his room, sliding on his Berkenstocks and heads back toward the dining room.

  Passing the book filled landing he starts to smell the divine scents of Ethil and Doris working in the kitchen. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he gazes out the windows that dot the front of the house, seeing the sun much lower in the sky then he is used to after years of working the dinner shift.

  “Maybe seven or eight in the morning?” He thinks to himself while following his nose to the dining room table. Finding himself alone in the dining room, he walks to the door that the pair of cooks entered from yesterday. Gently pushing the door, the wafting smells hit him like a physical force.

  “Sorry to intrude!” Marco announces himself in Ethil and Doris’ kitchen. “Is there anything I can do to help prepare breakfast?”

  “How sweet of you to offer,” Ethil says kindly, waving him over to a small cutting board surrounded by fruit. “All we have left to prepare is the fruit platter dear.”

  Doris is hovering 2 feet off the ground stirring a huge pot of what smells like oats and brown sugar, she sees his attention and gives him a gentle wave before returning to her job.

  “These fruits look lovely,” Marco says after locating a sink and scrubbing his hands and drying them off. He picks up an apple shaped fruit, “Does the Ivory family have orchards around here?”

  “Oh! No, we mainly grow vegetables here. Trade them to the Lockheart family across town, best orchards in Eldermyst” Ethil explains, “We do have the odd fig tree on property though.”

  “Anything special need to be done to these fruits before I prepare them?” Marco asks, having finished inspecting all the produce.

  “All washed and ready to go, just cut it up and arrange it however you’d like,” Doris says from the hot station ten feet away.

  Marco grabs the knife supplied to him next to the cutting board, examining the edge and finding it nearly razor sharp. He whistles to himself and starts to contribute to breakfast. Slicing the apples, the name supplied by the System away from their cores and slicing them into thin pieces before fanning them out along the edge of the platter.

  A lemon citrus like fruit is next, cut into wedges before being squeezed over the apple to prevent oxidation. He takes his time, getting used to the unfamiliar knife before he starts to speed up, going through kiwi, starfruit, assorted berries, and ending with groundcherries. Quickly taking the husks off and giving them an additional rinse to make them more pleasant to eat.

  The platter is nice, Marco admits to himself, artfully arranged with summer fruits and small pots of honey and yogurt topped with chopped mint and served with small spoons and tongs.

  “All set over here!” Marco says quite loudly to be heard over the noise of a kitchen. Turning he sees the pair staring at him with wide eyes.

  “That was most impressive!” The pair says in their matching voices, “Rarely can someone keep up with our speed in the kitchen, young man.”

  The platter Marco worked on starts to float up to join the others and a puddle of soapy water grabs his utensils and drags them to the sink. “What I wouldn’t give for a magic dishwasher back in my younger days!” Marco laughs to himself, always having hated the dish shifts of his youth.

  “Go ahead and clean yourself up and join the others in the dining room Marco, we will be behind you shortly.” Says Ethil, moving her five-foot frame through the air like her sister, her white hair dancing gently in the magic breeze.

  Marco cleans off his hands, checks himself over for stains or messes, finding none he exits the kitchen to find a much more filled dining room than yesterday. He freezes, not expecting to be in the company of so many people before he notices Coron waving him to an empty seat next to him.

  “Good morning, Marco, I trust that you enjoyed your accommodations?” Coron says while brings a small ivory colored teacup to his lips. He takes a small sip before returning it to the small saucer he lifted it from.

  “Very comfortable, like sleeping on a warm cloud.” Marco says, looking around the table for coffee or tea. He finds a small silver coffee carafe and cups, making eye contact with Coron to ask for permission he pours himself a steaming cup.

  “We hoped so,” a new voice adds in from across the table, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Coron, with small age line around her eyes and mouth. Blond hair, streaked with silver is tied back into a messy bun, spilling beautifully around her face and accenting her beauty. “You slept through the evening meal even through Oren’s knocking.”

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  “I’m very sorry to have missed out on more of Ethil and Doris’ wonderful cooking but yesterday was a trial and I am glad to have rested as much as I could.” Marco says with lightly red cheeks, blushing from embarrassment. “I am Marco, formerly of Earth. It is a pleasure to meet you ma’am.”

  “Bah, don’t ma’am me. I am Violet, current House Ivory Matriarch and mother to Coron, Alexandria, and Benjamin.” Violet introduces herself, pointing to Coron, another slender blonde elf who Marco assumes is Alexandria and a much younger elf with nearly white hair near the end of the table with his nose in a book. “Benjamin! What have I said about books at the dining table! Especially with guests.”

  The younger white haired boy jumps, surprised at the volume of his mother's voice. He quickly puts a very thin piece of wood to mark his page before storing the book elsewhere. “Sorry Mother! It was just so exciting,” Benjamin grins sheepishly.

  The doors to the kitchen open with a slight gust of wind bringing the pair of cooks along with their delicious smelling bounty. Marco grins at the boy's antics, having behaved similarly in his youth, always having a book in hand when outside of a kitchen. He guessed that the boy must be twelve or thirteen, judging by his much lighter hair and youthful energy.

  “Welcome Family, welcome to our dining room and be welcome to our table.” The pair intone, much like the midday meal yesterday.

  The bowls of oat porridge are distributed on tiny funnel clouds, each diner receiving their own bowl with communal pots of honey, maple syrup, and cream spread out over the table. Marco tastes his porridge, finding the flavor and sweetness to be perfect for him. He looks over the other dishes, his fruit platter is present, a large platter piled high with fluffy scrambled eggs, and a couple of platters of assorted sliced and toasted bread. He watches the other diner use magic of many kinds to bring dishes and foodstuffs to themselves.

  Tiny rock people are carefully lifting spoons and serving scrambled eggs to plats carried on the wind. A small blob of water is serving assorted juices in pitchers, orange, what appears to be cranberry, and others that swirl and dance with things that Marco has no words for.

  He accepts a glass of the orange juice, finding it more complex than the juice back home, flavors of other fruits like pineapple, mango, and kiwi are also present. He sighs on contented, slowly eating and watching the magical breakfast. Violet is having a grand time, judging by her smile as he makes the table ripple and wave, moving plates away from people and teasing her youngest child.

  “Hmm? They can control wood? I wonder if that falls under the Earth category or if it a mix of elements.” Marco ponders and uses a piece of dark bread, toasted to perfection to clean up his bowl, scraping the last of the oat onto the bread.

  He watches Oren, next to other elves dressed similar to the butler, finish his breakfast and sip what appears to be coffee with delight. “I am glad I was found by Coron; his family seems to treat everyone with respect.” Marco sips his black coffee, delighted at the bitter flavors, fighting with the remnants of his sweet oat porridge.

  “Before we get into the morning announcements, I would like to thank our newest guest, Marco for his help with our morning meal. It was a delight to have another professional in the kitchen.” Ethil says, standing and tapping her spoon on her tea cup for everyone's attention. Marco immediately shrinks down in his chair, not ready for the attention. He smiles lightly and gives the gathered crowd a small wave and a bow at the neck.

  “With that out of the way, Lady Violet has our morning announcements.” Doris says before sitting with her sister once again.

  The older elf stands, “Good morning, Family, we are blessed with another day of Sunshine and good weather.” Violet says in a clear voice, easily filling up the spacious dining room. “If you have not already, please introduce yourself to the newest occupant of the House, Marco Vito, Traveler of Earth.” Violet points to Marco, though most of the diner's attention was already on him after the thanks from the pair of cooks.

  “There are not many pressing matters today, the harvest of produce is delightful and bountiful this year, our trade agreement with the other Big Three hold strong and Woodholme grows.” Violet takes a deep breath and continues “As many of you know, it is nearly House Ivory’s turn on the wall.”

  Many people begin to shift uncomfortably at that, looking away from the Lady of the House and down at their empty bowls and cups. “We will do our duty as we have for generations. Protecting the wall is a vital duty for the safety and wellbeing of Woodholme.”

  “That is all for morning announcements, our shift on the wall begins next month. The First of August, I expect everyone to show up with proper attitudes and mana aplenty.” Violet smooths her cloths, slowly sitting back down and other diners begin to stand up and leave the breakfast area. Each of them stops at Marco’s seat and introduces themselves.

  A pair of gardeners here, a team of housekeepers, a Tidecaller, the names almost immediately vacate Marco’s mind. Thankful for the System and the [Inspect] feature, he doesn’t feel too bad about not remembering.

  “Marco if you would stay behind, I have tasked Benjamin with giving you more information on the System and surrounding areas.” Violet says while waving Benjamin over.

  The young boy, book in hand greets Marco with enthusiasm, excited to meet a traveler. “Hello, I am Benjamin Ivory, third-born of Violet Forestsong.” He introduces himself, using a different last name “Or maybe a title?” For his mother.

  Violet waves the introduction away, “You are welcome to use any of the space in the First-floor library, please just treat our books with care.” Having finished chatting with members of her House, Violet quickly waves her hand at the table and begins to walk out.

  The table responds to the wave by bulging and twist, stacking dirty dishes, cups, and utensils into neat piles before a pair of the chairs unfolds themselves into humanoid forms and begin to carry the stacks into the kitchen. Marco stands there slack jawed and amazed at the sight of such casual magic.

  “Fun right?” Benjamin asked, waving Marco toward the door and into the picture filled hallway. “Mother has [Earth] and [Water] affinities of at least Outstanding grade, giving her excellent control over Natural elements.”

  “That was so cool!” Marco says to Benjamin, shaking his head slightly in embarrassment at his childish wonder. They continue through the hallway and up the stairs, toward the landing filled with books and comfortable chair.

  Benjamin gestures to a wingback chair with large cushions in a delightful shade of green. Marco lowers himself into the chair and has to keep in a sigh of pleasure at the feeling of sinking into a wonderful chair.

  “I could read in this chair for hours,” Marco says, wiggling himself into the seat even further.

  “Mother has asked me to help you understand the system better.” Benjamin starts, walking around Marco’s chair and grabs a book on a middle shelf. “The Sunlight System is a semi-sentient force of nature designed by some being out there that cannot be described.” Benjamin continues his lecture while walking around gathering a small pile of books.

  The posture and lecturing tone look foreign on the young elf, making Marco think that the white-haired boy is older than he previously thought.