"Thank you. I'll remember your kindness, and please thank your daughter for her concern as well. I wish her a happy eleventh birthday in advance, Baron Bourbon."
Tales politely raised his glass from his seat, seeing off a guest who had come to toast him, then turned his attention back to the banquet's lively din.
As it turned out, once he had gotten past the awkward beginning, the Saint Banishing Day banquet was far easier than Tales had expected.
Amid the melodious music, the guests not only enjoyed the feast and chatted eagerly; the servants of Mindis Hall also hurried back and forth without pause, serving dish after dish. The attendants of many guests wove between the long tables, carrying wine or delivering messages on their masters' behalf, completing one round of service and social duties after another.
Like Exeter, the center of the banquet hall had been left open, serving as both stage and dance floor. Minstrels, clowns, acrobats, musicians, dancers, and other performers took turns showing off their talents.
At that moment, for example, a minstrel was pacing about with a lute and had begun his performance:
"This piece is a new work inspired by my travels through the Western Wasteland over the past several years. It tells of how, eleven years ago, King Kessel led an army deep into the Great Desert and slew the enemy chieftain in the Altar Battle..."
It gave Tales a sense of familiarity. When he had still been a beggar, there had often been minstrels like this at the Sunset Tavern. Their clothes, however, had never been so neat, and their voices and lute skills had varied wildly.
As the minstrel sang in a grand, lilting voice, the dishes continued to arrive, carried to the long tables in order:
At least five