Above All

-Thirty-Five-

Trees sway almost gone

Ecstasy within my soul

Bread shared close at hand

Layton:

Après ski was supposed to be Inyene and I alongside Amani's friends; but somehow my sister caught wind of where we were heading and dragged along her boyfriend and friends as well; it wasn't ideal for them to join, but there wasn't much I could do when telling my sister no. So, here we all were sitting at the restaurant: The Solar Table mostly known for their outstanding roasted duck; it was the perfect kind of meal after a day out skiing.

Regardless, the table was lively with chatter and engagement across the groups. Beside me, Amani was bouncing lightly in anticipation for the roasted duck that she along with the majority of the table had ordered along with an assortment of appetizers.

"Excited, aren't you?" I smirked as I looked over at her.

She stopped bouncing lightly and smiled, "I love roasted duck... we'll see if this place lives up to all the hype... plus I'm starving." She mentioned as she grabbed her hot cherry cider and snuck a couple of sips in there. "This stuff is always so good... like I've had it before, but they must have secret magic up here in Dria on why it tastes so rich." She complimented the drink before setting it back down.

Honestly, she was like a little kid experiencing things for the first time, it was cute.

"It's the apples." I stated.

Amani cocked her head at me, "The apples?" She inquired to which I responded with a simple head nod, "And the tart cherries... this region alongside Amtin make most of the tart cherries that are used in the hot cocoa and oolog... the taste is richer because they ferment the fruits a bit." I explained to her.

Her lips curved into a small smile, "You sound like you actually listened to someone with experience... how do you do it?" She said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, "I do tend to listen at time... but only if the subject interests me. You should know that by now." I gave her a long look insisting that the only subject of interest that I was focused on at the moment was her.

I could see her eyes softly dimming as she stared back at me. "And wine." She stated.

"Wine?" I replied.

She nodded, "What's the best region to get your wines from?" She inquired.

I thought for a moment, "Pita, Konjo, and Sako." I listed out.

She cocked her head in curiosity, "What are those places like?" She asked me curiously.

I smiled softly, "Absolutely stunning... lots of open land, beautiful scenic views of mountains... it's quite the place to visit during the summer time, lots of trails and wildlife." I explained to her, I watched as her eyes sparkled with wonder; it was probably nice for her to hear about the other places she has yet to experience.

"Oh, I'd love to visit those places one day." She sighed.

I pursed my lips. "I'll be your personal tour guide when I take you." I said to her.

She gave me a look, "You'll take me?" She asked.

I smirked, "Yeah why not... I've been there plenty of times. The royal family has cottages and old residences up there that we use as summer homes." I explained to her. Going up to the other regions was a nice home vacation, it was peaceful less people around and freedom to just actually explore without lingering eyes on you. I enjoyed my time up there whenever I did find the time to go, but these days it just seemed as if my workload was increasing by the boatload.