Piper turned, hearing her name called. "Oh, hello Emil," she smiled, putting her arm down, which had been stretched high above her to call the other children. Most of them had meandered out of the woods and down the path towards the house, whose lights had begun to illuminate as the sun set behind it.
Emil wanted to know if he had missed any chores, but Piper had fallen asleep. "Hmm, I don't think so." She smiled, "but I'm sure Teacher would know. Unless you were on the list for laundry day?" She winked, turning her waist to stretch her spine once before turning towards the house. "Should we go to dinner? We shouldn't keep the others waiting."
She needed to fix a bowl of soup for Mavise when she was done, she had promised Mavise that she would come back. "Did you enjoy today's lessons?" Piper asked, glancing down at the book he was holding. She smiled, "is that book any good? I'm always looking for something new to read." Piper opened up the door to let them both inside, placing the bell down in its proper place.
The interior of the Children's home was warm, the air outside beginning to cool down as the sun set outside. Titan was playing the violin in the corner, taking requests from some of the others. The table was set, plates full of food waiting to be devoured. "Evening," Micah waved as he entered, grinning. Piper returned the gesture, noticing his frown.
Theron? She scanned the room, noticing that yes, the red head was missing. "I know he went to look for Cressida earlier," Piper taped a finger against her chin, but she didn't have long to think about it, because Teacher clapped her hands together, the room falling silent. "Alright children," she smiled, the angels gathered, each standing behind their own chair. "What do we say before a meal?"
It was a short ritual that they did before eating anything, to show gratitude to the land that had food was grown in, to the Children that had helped them prepare, and to G//d for granting them life. All of the children in the room stood. There were no assigned seats, but they each had a natural spot that they gravitated to.
Piper stood behind her chair, hands resting over her heart. "Ashera, would you like to lead us?" Teacher asked, her smile pleasant. Ashera nodded, looking proud to be chosen. "Thank you G//d for our peaceful lives," they all repeated his words, each child putting a spin on it when it was their turn. "Thank you G//d for our peacefu lives," Piper smiled, enjoying his choice of words. This life of theirs truly was peaceful, it was easy.
"Thank you to the ground for your sacrifice," Teacher quirked a brow, but they all repeated his words. "And thank you to the Children who helped make this meal."
"Amen," Teacher smiled.
"Amen, they all repeated." Sankta raised his arms, "Let all who are hungry come to eat." The sound of chairs scraping against the ground filled the air as they moved about, seating themselves. There were platters on the table full of food, tonight's meal including greenbeans, grown from the garden, noodles made fresh in the kitchen, and chicken, raised right outside. "It all smells great," Piper's mouth was practically salivating.
The front door squeaked opened, Piper's head turning. She wasn't the only curious one, the missing Children had arrived. "You're both late," Teacher frowned, rising to greet Cressida and Theron. Why had Theron gone to look for her? Piper wondered. They all teased each other, Cressida was just overly sensitive. "Theron, come sit next to me." Piper smiled in greeting, pointing to the empty seat.