Welcome to Gaia! ::

Salem looked over at Drako as he tipped back his own refilled glass, the Native's eyes suggesting the Dragon had answered the question as well as could be hoped. William, meanwhile, put the bottle back in the cabinet and sipped some still in his hand, a slight weariness on his face as he smiled and replied.

"Ehehe, his ma hates it, I tell ya. Worries her sick what he does, she can't watch the stuff no more. Usually only see him when he's broken to bits, but he's her baby boy, she always patches him back up when he needs. I just keep the liquor stocked, hehe, buncha lushes around 'ere."

Before the conversation could get any deeper, Salem's mom had rejoined the men with a satisfied smile on her face, taking William's glass and kicking back the remaining contents as a just reward for her work before addressing the fellows.

"Boys, dinner is ready. We have plenty to eat, so go wash up and have a seat at the dining table." she informed them, turning to go help her brother Blue-Sky who had begun putting bowls and plates of side dishes onto the tablecloth of the dinner table.

A large turkey tied up and dressed as the main attraction of the meal, with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, along with an assortment of other confections, their aromas conglomerating in the air to beckon all in the house closer to the table.

Following his father into the kitchen, Salem took turns washing his hands in the kitchen sink before grabbing other dishes of food on the countertops and assembling them on the dinner table alongside the others.

Dawn, Salem's mother, turned to Drako and shook her head.

"No, dear, thank you. Just take a seat at the table, and we're gonna eat shortly."

Once the pile of plates had been assembled and the people were in their chairs, Salem's mother sat at the head of the table and reached out to her right and left, where William and Salem sat respectfully.

"I just want to be grateful that I have been blessed with such strong, decent men in my life, and a somewhat tolerable brother." she added, smirking at her brother sitting across Drako, Blue-Sky chuckling and nodding a bit, pulling his hand away from the cornbread once his sister noticed his wandering fingers.

"...And hopefully, my son won't get himself killed so that this is the first and last time he brings his friends around. Now, let's eat!" she finished, the final words a celebratory tone that belied the annoyance she clearly felt at the end of her address, starting to reach for food and assemble her plate as her husband and brother did the same.

Salem looked as though he wanted to protest, but instead he reached for a piece of cornbread and bit into it, sufficiently stuffing his mouth shut while starting to carve some of the turkey up for his plate.