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Nyhali followed suit with the mare and then started giving her a good brushing. "Well, I'll make sure he's well looked after while you're not here." She looked back at the sleeping pair. "I was genuinely starting to wonder if Kedri was ever going to find someone to bond with besides me... and now I feel like a clingy parent..." She shook her head and gave the mare a few more strokes before closing the stall and putting away the brush. "Shall we leave their meal here and head in to clean up? I'm hungry but I could definitely use a bath first."

Kedri chirped in her sleep and unconsciously snuggled into the warmth of Leolin's back when he rested his head against her neck. When she felt him start wiggling from the leg movement she partially tucked a wing over him and chirped again before drifting all the way back into griffon REM.

Nyhali tilted her head, grinning slightly. Her desire to bathe wasn't just because she was used to doing so frequently. Truth be told, she'd gotten bruises and scrapes enough of her own last night and she was a bit stiff and sore now, not to mention that she hadn't really slept. Still... Laura's reaction was a bit amusing to her. "Well, if you want to. Just be prepared to have Matti and Marta try to boss you, they're usually the ones doing the cooking." She stretched a bit to relieve the stiffness a bit and her back popped audibly. "Err... I'll see you in the kitchen?"

She paused by Kedri to tickle the griffoness' ear affectionately. She got a flick in response, though otherwise the animal didn't stir. She grinned again and headed inside to go soak for a few minutes.

The sleeping Kedri responded to Leolin's thrumming with some of her own a few moments after Nyhali passed by. It was impossible to tell what, if anything, she was dreaming about, but it was obvious she was quite content where she was.

((*insert random color for the cooks here*))

Matti looked up from her pot of boiling vegetables when Laura called. Marta didn't appear to be in the room, which was probably beneficial for the visitor, as Matti was far less likely to be offended by Laura's plans. She still eyed the catch with curiosity and maybe a little suspicion, however. "Hullo dear. What've ye got there?"

Meanwhile Nyhali went about the business of scrubbing herself in a tub upstairs before finally allowing herself to idle in the water. It was more relaxing to soak without having to worry about scrubbing afterward... at least for her. She winced slightly as a bruised patch of ribs pressed against the side of the tub when she shifted and immediately shifted back. She hadn't gotten any serious injuries, miraculously, but she hadn't gotten out entirely unscathed, either.

Matti watched Laura for a moment before checking her vegetables again and carefully swung the pot out on the bar it hung from so that it was no longer dangling over the fire. Satisfied that it would be all right for the time being and that they could afford to take a bit longer to cook for the sake of readying the fowl, she walked over to inspect Laura's handiwork.

After a moment she merely nodded to herself about something and motioned for Laura to scoot over. "Make some room, dear. That's a lotta bird ta be pluckin' on yer lonesome. I'll give ye a hand."

Matti bobbed her head, not really looking away from her task either. "M' name's Matti Halbeck. What name would you go by?" She was rather curious about this woman that Nyhali had so readily taken into her confidences, as well. And she entirely missed the bird as it made its bid for freedom.

The bird's freedom was short lived, however, as Marta chose that moment to enter the kitchen and nearly tripped over it. Forced to hurriedly lay down the basket of apples she'd just brought in she dove on the terrified creature. "An' where do ye think ye're goin'?" She looked about to wring the bird's neck when Matti called her off.

"'Ey, Marta. Bring it here, let's have a look at the wound. We've got mor'n we need, no need to kill the wee beasty if it can recover, now."

Marta brought the bird over and waited patiently while Matti started examining the wound, only to apparently realize in that moment that Laura was working in her kitchen. "'EY? Matti, what's this'n doin' here?!"

"She and M'lady caught the birds for dinner for every'n. She was set for cleanin' 'em herself but I offered t'help. Now quit yer bellyachin' Marta, with as much as y'complain I'd figure ye'd be glad to not have to do anythin' for a night."

"Ye know well 'nuff that 'm not serious when I say things like that, Matti! How can I be sure she won't mess'n up?"

"M'lady trusts her t'do it and she's proven well 'nuff that she knows what's needin' done for it. Now shoosh yerself and either help with the cookin' or get out the way, Marta."

The odds were the quail wouldn't be recovering well enough from the wound to survive out in the wild. Matti gave an almost apologetic sigh and pet the bird before finishing it as quickly as she knew with a quick twist of its neck. "She likes to let 'em go, if they can make it, if they manage to survive the arrow," she said, motioning with her head toward Nyhali's room. "Figures they deserve the chance if the arrow lets 'em off, but sometimes the damage is just too much t'be undone, even if the wound wouldn't be fatal. Not fair t'em to turn 'em loose only to leave 'em easy prey for a fox or a stray pet and no chance of escape."

Marta was glowering somewhat but had taken over Matti's abandoned vegetable pot. It was obvious she didn't understand the sentiment of letting the creatures go after going to the trouble of hunting them.

Marta just gave a sort of grunt and stayed pretty much silent for the rest of the meal preparation.

Matti sighed and shrugged, returning to her work. "Try not t'mind Marta too much, she's never fond of new people."

After a while she got out a few herbs for Laura to pick and choose from to use on the birds if she wanted and left Laura to finish them how she felt best while she took care of other things around the kitchen.

Nyhali wound up wandering back downstairs after a little while, washed and mostly dried (her hair was still a bit wet and looked like she hadn't really bothered to brush it out all the way). "Hello ladies! Sorry I took so long, I don't think last night is quite finished with me yet. Is there anything I can help with?" She'd grown up helping with things like this, so it's not like she was a stranger to a little hard work in the kitchen.

Marta looked up from what she was doing. "Well, ye can make sure that Matti doesn' burn the bread."

"I'll show ye burned bread Marta!" Matti snapped good naturedly, not minding at all that Nyhali came over to watch the bread for her after tying her long hair back. "Now be a dear and call me over when it's ready, M'lady. You've nay slept since yesterday and I'll not have ye dropping it straight out of the oven!"

Nyhali shook her head emphatically. "It's all right Laura. This is sort of my last bit of fun for the day. I'll go to bed after we eat, and get back to all the things I'm supposed to do and don't really want to tomorrow." She turned to look at Laura, suddenly reminded that her new friend was going to have to go back to where she came from soon. "You were going to go ahead and stay tonight? And Leolin will be staying until he's better?" She paused thoughtfully. "Do you want me to send someone with you when you go back tomorrow or do you think you'll be all right?" She just wanted to make sure of the details. She couldn't quite remember what all they'd decided earlier, she was beginning to feel a little foggy.

((Shall everything be cooked now? I'm not too clear on it, but I suppose it would make sense if we want to get things wrapped up any time soon. XD))

Nyhali chuckled softly. "Well I'm sure Leolin will get enough attention. It looks like Kedri's going to fuss over him until he's better." She turned her gaze back to the bread. "You can borrow the horse if you need to, but if you want to send him back that's ok too."

~~~~A couple of hours later~~~~

Nyhali had just sat down to eat with the other women when a little girl no older than six scurried into the room and climbed into her lap, looking up at her with large, luminous brown eyes. Nyhali raised an eyebrow and handed her a piece of bread, after which the small dark-skinned child wormed her way back off of Nyhali's lap and trotted back over to the door to wait. Eventually an even darker skinned man walked into view and put his hands on his hips. "Tika, you didn't take that did you?"

"She didn't steal it Keman, she just gave me her puppy eyes." Nyhali grinned and motioned to the two of them. "Laura, I'd like you to meet Keman and his little girl Tika. He's actually the one I was going to ask to accompany you tomorrow..."

Keman gravely accepted the piece of bread from his daughter, at which point she started giggling, so he hoisted her up and gave her a quick tickle after tucking the bread into his mouth. He sat down between Matti and Marta and recieved another piece which he handed to Tika and then took a bite out of his. "Laura, hm? Are you the one that owns the other griffon, then? Dalia had a time keeping Tika from bothering the two of them earlier." He smiled fondly at his little rascal.

Matti clucked softly with tongue and teeth. "Tika, you shouldn't worry your mother so. You wouldn't want to upset your baby brother or sister before they're even born would, you?" She couldn't help a smile as the little girl did her best to look abashed.

Nyhali ate as quickly as she could without making a mess or seeming entirely rude. Keman and Tika only had a couple of pieces of bread between them, as they had apparently already eaten. When everyone was as least mostly finished with their meals Nyhali stood up, stifling a yawn. "I'm sorry Keman, ladies, but I think I'd better get to bed before I fall asleep in the vegetable soup."