Poem: "Food and Cheer and Song"
This poem is spillover from the August 2, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from DW users Librarygeek and Readera. It also fills the "Villain" square in my 8-1-22 card for the Reel Time Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by a pool with DW user Fuzzyred. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attractions thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Food and Cheer and Song"
[September 22, 2016]
Walking hand-in-hand with
Cavalier and Princessa,
Tarnish had to admit
that he was impressed.
Hobbit Day at Estes Park
was an all-out festival.
Most of the attendees came
from the Withering Heights LARP,
but others came from farther away.
Some wore their LARP costumes,
but more were dressed as hobbits
or other characters from Middle Earth.
The park had given special permission
for experienced foragers to gather
edible plants from the wild, traded
weight-for-weight by removing
various invasive species.
People went to and fro
carrying baskets of plants.
The main camp was a riot
of food and cheer and song,
celebrating the hobbit ideals
that made for a merrier world.
Someone had even set up
a mathom-house of items from
Tolkien history and movies.
Its displays of weapons and
knickknacks made Tarnish
and Cavalier both smile.
Signs advertised a variety of
workshops, presentations, and
other activities featuring Tolkien
in particular or fantasy in general.
Professor Galadriel Landon had
a whole list including Tolkien Poetry,
Elvish Languages, and Hobbit Stories.
Cavalier slowed, looking at the times
for each of the presentations on the board.
"See something you like?" said Tarnish.
"Yeah, but I want to hit the games
and the food first," said Cavalier.
"I may come back to these later."
The next sign had two entries on it --
Ringbearer PTSD / PDSD Support Circle
above The White Hand: a ruined and
terrible form of life, now perfected.
Beside it sat a redheaded woman
dressed as a hobbit, but she wore
breeches instead of skirts like
most of the other women did.
Something about her tugged at
Tarnish's superpower, very faintly.
He took a step closer to the sign.
"Interested?" she said. "I'm Foxglove,
and I'm with the Ringbearer group for
all different kinds of traumatic stress.
The White Hand is a veteran group."
Ah. That explained the hint of
corruption: not hers personally,
but something she'd picked up.
"I may drop by the Ringerbearers
later," said Tarnish. It'd be nice
to go somewhere that he wasn't
the most fucked-up one in the room.
"Ooo, flower crafts!" said Princessa,
and Tarnish had to hurry to catch up.
This booth offered multiple options.
Small children were making frames
from sticks to hold nature weavings,
while older ones made flower crowns.
Adults, most of them women, were
assembling tussie-mussie bouquets.
Beside the booth, another sign read,
Help Bill the Pony into his costume.
A cluster of girls crowded around
a big black horse, braiding flowers
into his mane and tail, while he ate
clover from a hanging hay net.
"Pony, huh?" said Tarnish.
The horse was taller than him.
"Costume," said the horse.
Suddenly recognizing him,
Tarnish looked around, and
there she was, dressed up as
a hobbit girl in a lacy white blouse,
green velvet bodice, and black skirt.
A burgundy silk ribbon and a crown
of chrysanthemums added a festive air.
"Are you okay barefoot?" Tarnish said.
"I know some of the swamp halflings
do that, but you're not a regular."
She gave a tinkling laugh,
then showed him a foot sole
that looked as thick as leather.
"I grew up doing this," she said.
"I remember what feet to wear."
"Friend of yours?" Princessa said
as she turned to look at Tarnish.
"Let's say that I'm familiar
with her," Tarnish hedged,
not wanting to go into details.
Several different Colorado colleges
had put out a booth that promoted
their hobby majors and minors
as a path to a balanced life.
Another held historic games
such as Fox and Geese or
Nine Men's Morris made of
leather, wood, and ceramic.
A chalkboard advertised,
The Creation of Cheer,
Game Theory & Design,
Philosophy of Games, and
Philosophy of Community.
Behind the table was the fellow
who usually played Argus, one of
the Game Masters in Withering Heights,
today styling himself as Ademaro the Red.
From there, a row of carnival games lined
both sides of the walking lane. There were
variations on ring toss and bottle knockdown
and all sorts of other interesting things.
"I want to play some of the games,"
Cavalier said, picking up the pace.
"You're not going to eat with us?"
Princessa said, tilting her head.
"I'll catch up later," he said.
"You think that they'll let
a swashbuckler play?"
Tarnish asked him.
"Of course," said Cavalier.
"I'll offer to play blindfolded.
That always draws a crowd, so
more people will play the games.
Plus the hotshots will want to try it
with a blindfold, and they'll lose."
Princessa nodded. "It's a fair deal."
Banners marked the entrance
to Longbottom Lane where folks
shared favorite smoking blends,
and Green Dragon Glen where
the homebrewers had opened
tents serving beer and wine.
The main lane held booths
selling homemade sodas,
including one that carried
many flavors of ginger bug.
Several hobbits had put out
a cider press and offered
fresh apple or pear cider.
After browsing, Tarnish
settled on a blackberry bug
while Princessa had pear cider.
A creamery had set up with
cheeses and flavored butters.
Some distance behind that
stood a wooden corral with
a petting zoo of small cows.
One was black with a white belt,
one buff, another shaggy red.
"Cheese?" Tarnish suggested,
waving a hand at the spread.
"Oh yes," Princessa agreed,
and they nibbled their way
down the tasting row until
they settled on a sage Derby.
One bakery offered bread
in round loaves or fancy braids,
some dotted with nuts or seeds.
Signs showed the allergy-friendly,
gluten-free, and vegan sections.
Another had pastries in many shapes,
some glazed with honey or maple syrup
and filled with fruit or nuts or mincemeat.
A third sold meat or vegetable pies,
from tiny palm-sized pasties on up
to gigantic rounds standing three or
four inches high, enough for a family.
A blacksmith had laid out an assortment
of tools for campfire cooking such as
Dutch ovens, cauldrons, skillets, grills,
spoons, tongs, S-hooks, and racks.
Someone had set up a spit with
a whole rope of jumbo sausages on it.
There was also a cold ham being sliced,
and those slabs could be warmed up
over the same fire as the sausages.
Another stall had a big cauldron full
of stewed mushrooms, which they
ladled into sourdough bread bowls.
Tarnish got a sausage, and Princessa
chose one of the mushroom bowls.
They hesitated over another baker
selling fruit pies and tarts, but
decided to wait on dessert.
A soup kitchen was handing out
free samples of vegetable stew in
tiny palm-sized sourdough rolls.
A girl with cow features had
a table advertising Vegan Treats
like heirloom vegetables, salads
of foraged greens with mushrooms,
and a pot of landrace bean mix.
Several places sold jarred goods
including jams, jellies, and pickles.
The colors gleamed jewel-bright
in the tawny autumn sunlight.
Princessa bought a big jar
of mixed berry jam, while
Tarnish got pickled peppers.
Cavalier caught up to them.
He'd won a Fox and Geese set.
"Find anything good?" he said.
"Yeah, try this," Tarnish said,
offering the last of the sage Derby.
Cavalier scarfed down the cheese.
"That's delicious," he said. "I'm
going to need more, though."
A sign read, The Pumpkin Patch.
Below were tiny baked pumpkins
filled with rich rabbit stew, pans of
candied pumpkin, and acorn squash
filled with honey, nuts, and dried fruit.
"That'll do," Cavalier said, pouncing
on one of the rabbit stew pumpkins.
Tarnish and Princessa picked up
a sweet acorn squash to share.
Nearby, a cluster of picnic tables
invited people to sit and enjoy
a variety of performing arts.
One group was holding
a riddle contest, in which
each entrant put up a prize
and winner would get them all.
A storytelling circle featured
a rustic wooden throne ringed
by several benches, where
a costumed Bilbo Baggins was
recounting the Tale of the Trolls.
A large theatre currently held
a trio of comics, with a signboard
advertising future performances.
Several small wooden platforms
served as stages for other acts.
One held a hobbit juggling fruit,
while another had a balancing act.
A busker had claimed one,
and Tarnish recognized
Lottie Bottom's Daughter,
a violinist with donkey traits
who sometimes played
at Renaissance faires.
She was encircled by
a troop of hobbit children
doing some sort of folk dance
while singing a cheerful song.
Beyond them, a group of teens
were attemptng a couples dance
that moved in squares and lines.
Wandering vendors with pushcarts
rambled among the picnic tables
selling tea, juice, autumn fruits,
and snacks like spiced nuts.
"Over here," Tarnish called,
flagging down a hobbit girl
with nuts in paper cones.
"I'll have the corn nuts,"
he said. "Cavalier,
Princessa, do you
want anything too?"
"Honey walnuts,"
said Princessa,
and Cavalier said,
"Roasted chickpeas."
The corn nuts tasted
spicy and delicious.
Tarnish even tried one
of Princessa's walnuts.
After they finished eating,
they headed down the lane.
At the gate to a sheltered glen,
a broad colorful banner read,
Southfarthing Fibercrafts.
"Oh, I want to see this,"
Princessa said, and
the other two followed.
There were people doing
embroidery and booths
of fabric or finished clothes.
Tarnish found his friend Sundew
spreading wool on a blending board.
"What's up?" Tarnish asked her
as he took the nearest seat.
"I'm too pregnant to walk around
all day, so I decided to park here
and make hobbit-themed rolags
for the spinners," said Sundew.
Yeah, she looked like she had
a pumpkin under her dress,
and she was making little rolls
of combed wool in shades of
brown, rust, gray, and cream.
Plus Sundew had Petal in
a sling on her back, the baby
drowsing quietly for now.
Beside her, two older women
were spinning the rolls into
a beautiful variegated yarn
as they talked about fractal
and gradient techniques.
A teen boy was knitting what
might become a shawl from
a ball of the finished yarn.
Sundew's older son Frond
came over with a basket full of
black, gray, and silver wool.
He sat down and started
to card it on big combs.
"Now that's going to make
great yarn," said Tarnish.
"If you comb it all together,
though, won't it lose the colors?"
"Depends on how I comb it,"
said Frond. "I could blend
the colors all the way to get
a medium gray, or do each
of them alone, or in between.
I'm making like a soft heather
with them today. I hope."
"Don't worry, love, you'll
get the hang of it eventually,"
said Sundew. "It takes time."
"Yeah, any skill needs practice,"
Tarnish said. "Hey, I haven't
seen Bulrush or Pip here.
Did they come today?"
Cavalier pointed. "They're
over with the ropemakers."
Tarnish twisted to look, and
saw the two of them making
what looked like garden twine.
"Pip is too frisky and noisy
for Petal," Sundew explained.
"We try to keep him occupied."
"Good plan, and rope is always
a useful thing," said Tarnish.
Then a shadow fell over them.
Seeing a Blue Orc he didn't
know, Tarnish stood up
to protect Sundew.
"It's okay, Tarnish,
Wurtzel is a new friend,"
Sundew assured him.
"He's not like Torgen."
Petal gurgled and
held out her arms,
reaching for the orc.
"That kid has no sense
of self-preservation,"
Tarnish muttered.
Sundew snorted.
"That kid knows who
carries honeygums and
can't say no to a pretty face."
Sure enough, Wurtzel
produced something that
looked like a gummy bear
but was probably homemade.
Petal grabbed it and stuffed it
into her mouth with a happy sound.
"Hi, Sundew," said Wurtzel. "I
came to bring you this." He
passed her a cloth bundle.
"The White Hand is making
seedcakes today," he went on.
"It's relaxing, so let me know if
you like them and I'll bring more.
Oh, and the Ringbearer Circle
sent the fruit and nut bread."
Sundew opened the bundle
to reveal a whole batch of
lovely round seedcakes
that looked like little muffins.
She shared them around,
so Tarnish took a seedcake
and a slice of fruit and nut bread,
even though he just had lunch.
The seedcake was sweet
with shredded carrot and
crunchy from the mix of
seeds scattered on top.
The fruit and nut bread was
sourdough dotted with almonds,
raisins, dried cherries and apricots.
"Thank you for sharing the snack,"
said Tarnish. "I should swing by
the Ringbearer Support Circle."
"You want me to come too?"
Cavalier offered, watching him.
"Nah, I'll manage," said Tarnish,
"but thanks for asking anyway."
Leaving the pleasant glen behind,
he headed back up the lane to
where he had seen the sign
for the two support groups.
The path there forked and led
toward two secluded areas.
He found Foxglove seated
among the Ringbearers.
It wasn't very much like
a therapy group, just folks
sitting around talking quietly
or working on various crafts.
Tarnish got the reference in
the title, though: people who
had been heavily affected by
things they'd seen or done, who
needed sympathetic company.
And yeah, if his superpower
was at all accurate, he was
nowhere near the worst here.
He wouldn't ask about that.
Instead, he sat down beside
Foxglove. "What are you
working on?" he wondered.
"Acorn buttons," she said.
"These are handcast bronze.
Once they come out of the mold,
they need to get cleaned up
and polished smooth."
They looked realistic,
with crosshatched caps
above sleek glossy nuts.
"Nice work," said Tarnish.
"They almost look like jewelry."
"That's the idea," said Foxglove.
"They'll make good buttons for
fancy festival garb. Hey, I heard
that you can bring up the contrast
better than tarnish paste. Could
I talk you into helping with these?"
"Depends on what you're offering
in trade," Tarnish said with a smirk.
"I got a raspberry jam and apple tart
for later," said Foxglove. "How's that?"
"Deal," Tarnish said happily. "Hand
me whatever you want tarnished
and give me an idea what you
want it to look like in the end."
"Realistic," said Foxglove. "I'm
hoping for shades of brown, and
I chose the alloy with that in mind."
"Yeah, I can do that," said Tarnish.
"You won't get all the detail from me --
I've been practicing finer control, but
you'll still need to repolish the highlights."
"No problem," said Foxglove. "Here,
these six are ready for the patina."
So Tarnish used his superpower
to darken the grooves, which
also left the higher parts dull.
Foxglove picked up each button
and carefully polished the high parts.
Now they really looked like acorns.
Then she handed Tarnish his tart and
went back to work on the other buttons.
The tart had a beautiful golden crust,
and the raspberry jam had bubbled up
to coat the sliced apples in pink glaze.
Tarnish wolfed down the first slice
just to fill the gap from using
his superpowers, then slowed
to savor the second slice.
"I should save some of
this for Cavalier and
Princessa," he said,
wrapping the rest of it
back in its waxcloth.
"Here, this is more filling,"
Foxglove said, offering him
more of the fruit and nut bread
that the group had baked. "You
more than earned a share."
"This is good stuff," he said.
He liked the little pops of flavor.
"I would love to get the recipe
so that I can make it at home."
"What recipe?" Foxglove said,
laughing. "You scoop up
your sourdough starter, add
water and flour until it feels
springy. Soak the dried fruit in
tea, add nuts, and fold those
into the dough. Then bake it."
"Okay, maybe I could just watch you
make it some time," said Tarnish.
"Catch me at Withering Heights,"
said Foxglove. "The Swamp Halflings
have some nice stone ovens to use."
"Yeah, I'd like that," said Tarnish, stuffing
the last bit of the bread into his mouth.
"Are you still available for tarnishing?
And can you do that in silverwork?"
asked one of the other members.
"I'm Lymas Riley, and I've been
polishing some of my silverware.
Couldn't stay in the booth anymore."
"It's okay, Lymas, work as long as
you can and then take a break,"
said Foxglove. "That's why we
have a booth for us to share."
"I can do silver," said Tarnish.
"Show me what you have."
Lymas had two baskets of
silver spoons, one unfinished
and one polished. They had
bowls dimpled from hammering
and handles with tiny sculptures
of flowers, corn, or sailing ships.
"There are six different designs,"
said Lymas. "How about you
pick a set of six spoons, and
tarnish however many you
have the energy to do."
Tarnish looked at them.
"Yeah, I can probably get
through these," he said.
He picked out his set,
tarnished them first,
then set them aside.
After that he worked
through the other ones,
handing them off to Lymas,
who started polishing them.
They really did look better
with the shadows darkened.
New silver was too shiny
to see all the fine details.
By the time Tarnish finished,
his belly was gnawing on
his backbone again.
"Eat this," Foxglove said,
pressing a cold meat pie
into Tarnish's hands. "I
sent out one of the kids
to get you something."
It was easily the size of
his fist, and the top crust
had been pinched into
a cute pig's face.
The pie filling was
rich and hearty with
just a hint of spice.
"Thanks," said Tarnish.
"This tastes fantastic."
"Dessert," said Lymas,
uncovering a basket of
honeycakes that had
bees or honeycombs
pressed into the tops.
They were crispy outside
but moist and tender inside.
Lymas even gave Tarnish
enough to take back to
Cavalier and Princessa.
So he set off with half of
a raspberry jam and apple tart,
several fine honeycakes, and
a set of six silver spoons.
"That's quite a haul,"
Cavalier said as he
looked over the loot.
"Yeah," said Tarnish,
"and the best thing?
I didn't even have to act
like a villain to get this."
It really was a merrier world
valuing food and cheer and song.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes appear separately.
"Food and Cheer and Song"
[September 22, 2016]
Walking hand-in-hand with
Cavalier and Princessa,
Tarnish had to admit
that he was impressed.
Hobbit Day at Estes Park
was an all-out festival.
Most of the attendees came
from the Withering Heights LARP,
but others came from farther away.
Some wore their LARP costumes,
but more were dressed as hobbits
or other characters from Middle Earth.
The park had given special permission
for experienced foragers to gather
edible plants from the wild, traded
weight-for-weight by removing
various invasive species.
People went to and fro
carrying baskets of plants.
The main camp was a riot
of food and cheer and song,
celebrating the hobbit ideals
that made for a merrier world.
Someone had even set up
a mathom-house of items from
Tolkien history and movies.
Its displays of weapons and
knickknacks made Tarnish
and Cavalier both smile.
Signs advertised a variety of
workshops, presentations, and
other activities featuring Tolkien
in particular or fantasy in general.
Professor Galadriel Landon had
a whole list including Tolkien Poetry,
Elvish Languages, and Hobbit Stories.
Cavalier slowed, looking at the times
for each of the presentations on the board.
"See something you like?" said Tarnish.
"Yeah, but I want to hit the games
and the food first," said Cavalier.
"I may come back to these later."
The next sign had two entries on it --
Ringbearer PTSD / PDSD Support Circle
above The White Hand: a ruined and
terrible form of life, now perfected.
Beside it sat a redheaded woman
dressed as a hobbit, but she wore
breeches instead of skirts like
most of the other women did.
Something about her tugged at
Tarnish's superpower, very faintly.
He took a step closer to the sign.
"Interested?" she said. "I'm Foxglove,
and I'm with the Ringbearer group for
all different kinds of traumatic stress.
The White Hand is a veteran group."
Ah. That explained the hint of
corruption: not hers personally,
but something she'd picked up.
"I may drop by the Ringerbearers
later," said Tarnish. It'd be nice
to go somewhere that he wasn't
the most fucked-up one in the room.
"Ooo, flower crafts!" said Princessa,
and Tarnish had to hurry to catch up.
This booth offered multiple options.
Small children were making frames
from sticks to hold nature weavings,
while older ones made flower crowns.
Adults, most of them women, were
assembling tussie-mussie bouquets.
Beside the booth, another sign read,
Help Bill the Pony into his costume.
A cluster of girls crowded around
a big black horse, braiding flowers
into his mane and tail, while he ate
clover from a hanging hay net.
"Pony, huh?" said Tarnish.
The horse was taller than him.
"Costume," said the horse.
Suddenly recognizing him,
Tarnish looked around, and
there she was, dressed up as
a hobbit girl in a lacy white blouse,
green velvet bodice, and black skirt.
A burgundy silk ribbon and a crown
of chrysanthemums added a festive air.
"Are you okay barefoot?" Tarnish said.
"I know some of the swamp halflings
do that, but you're not a regular."
She gave a tinkling laugh,
then showed him a foot sole
that looked as thick as leather.
"I grew up doing this," she said.
"I remember what feet to wear."
"Friend of yours?" Princessa said
as she turned to look at Tarnish.
"Let's say that I'm familiar
with her," Tarnish hedged,
not wanting to go into details.
Several different Colorado colleges
had put out a booth that promoted
their hobby majors and minors
as a path to a balanced life.
Another held historic games
such as Fox and Geese or
Nine Men's Morris made of
leather, wood, and ceramic.
A chalkboard advertised,
The Creation of Cheer,
Game Theory & Design,
Philosophy of Games, and
Philosophy of Community.
Behind the table was the fellow
who usually played Argus, one of
the Game Masters in Withering Heights,
today styling himself as Ademaro the Red.
From there, a row of carnival games lined
both sides of the walking lane. There were
variations on ring toss and bottle knockdown
and all sorts of other interesting things.
"I want to play some of the games,"
Cavalier said, picking up the pace.
"You're not going to eat with us?"
Princessa said, tilting her head.
"I'll catch up later," he said.
"You think that they'll let
a swashbuckler play?"
Tarnish asked him.
"Of course," said Cavalier.
"I'll offer to play blindfolded.
That always draws a crowd, so
more people will play the games.
Plus the hotshots will want to try it
with a blindfold, and they'll lose."
Princessa nodded. "It's a fair deal."
Banners marked the entrance
to Longbottom Lane where folks
shared favorite smoking blends,
and Green Dragon Glen where
the homebrewers had opened
tents serving beer and wine.
The main lane held booths
selling homemade sodas,
including one that carried
many flavors of ginger bug.
Several hobbits had put out
a cider press and offered
fresh apple or pear cider.
After browsing, Tarnish
settled on a blackberry bug
while Princessa had pear cider.
A creamery had set up with
cheeses and flavored butters.
Some distance behind that
stood a wooden corral with
a petting zoo of small cows.
One was black with a white belt,
one buff, another shaggy red.
"Cheese?" Tarnish suggested,
waving a hand at the spread.
"Oh yes," Princessa agreed,
and they nibbled their way
down the tasting row until
they settled on a sage Derby.
One bakery offered bread
in round loaves or fancy braids,
some dotted with nuts or seeds.
Signs showed the allergy-friendly,
gluten-free, and vegan sections.
Another had pastries in many shapes,
some glazed with honey or maple syrup
and filled with fruit or nuts or mincemeat.
A third sold meat or vegetable pies,
from tiny palm-sized pasties on up
to gigantic rounds standing three or
four inches high, enough for a family.
A blacksmith had laid out an assortment
of tools for campfire cooking such as
Dutch ovens, cauldrons, skillets, grills,
spoons, tongs, S-hooks, and racks.
Someone had set up a spit with
a whole rope of jumbo sausages on it.
There was also a cold ham being sliced,
and those slabs could be warmed up
over the same fire as the sausages.
Another stall had a big cauldron full
of stewed mushrooms, which they
ladled into sourdough bread bowls.
Tarnish got a sausage, and Princessa
chose one of the mushroom bowls.
They hesitated over another baker
selling fruit pies and tarts, but
decided to wait on dessert.
A soup kitchen was handing out
free samples of vegetable stew in
tiny palm-sized sourdough rolls.
A girl with cow features had
a table advertising Vegan Treats
like heirloom vegetables, salads
of foraged greens with mushrooms,
and a pot of landrace bean mix.
Several places sold jarred goods
including jams, jellies, and pickles.
The colors gleamed jewel-bright
in the tawny autumn sunlight.
Princessa bought a big jar
of mixed berry jam, while
Tarnish got pickled peppers.
Cavalier caught up to them.
He'd won a Fox and Geese set.
"Find anything good?" he said.
"Yeah, try this," Tarnish said,
offering the last of the sage Derby.
Cavalier scarfed down the cheese.
"That's delicious," he said. "I'm
going to need more, though."
A sign read, The Pumpkin Patch.
Below were tiny baked pumpkins
filled with rich rabbit stew, pans of
candied pumpkin, and acorn squash
filled with honey, nuts, and dried fruit.
"That'll do," Cavalier said, pouncing
on one of the rabbit stew pumpkins.
Tarnish and Princessa picked up
a sweet acorn squash to share.
Nearby, a cluster of picnic tables
invited people to sit and enjoy
a variety of performing arts.
One group was holding
a riddle contest, in which
each entrant put up a prize
and winner would get them all.
A storytelling circle featured
a rustic wooden throne ringed
by several benches, where
a costumed Bilbo Baggins was
recounting the Tale of the Trolls.
A large theatre currently held
a trio of comics, with a signboard
advertising future performances.
Several small wooden platforms
served as stages for other acts.
One held a hobbit juggling fruit,
while another had a balancing act.
A busker had claimed one,
and Tarnish recognized
Lottie Bottom's Daughter,
a violinist with donkey traits
who sometimes played
at Renaissance faires.
She was encircled by
a troop of hobbit children
doing some sort of folk dance
while singing a cheerful song.
Beyond them, a group of teens
were attemptng a couples dance
that moved in squares and lines.
Wandering vendors with pushcarts
rambled among the picnic tables
selling tea, juice, autumn fruits,
and snacks like spiced nuts.
"Over here," Tarnish called,
flagging down a hobbit girl
with nuts in paper cones.
"I'll have the corn nuts,"
he said. "Cavalier,
Princessa, do you
want anything too?"
"Honey walnuts,"
said Princessa,
and Cavalier said,
"Roasted chickpeas."
The corn nuts tasted
spicy and delicious.
Tarnish even tried one
of Princessa's walnuts.
After they finished eating,
they headed down the lane.
At the gate to a sheltered glen,
a broad colorful banner read,
Southfarthing Fibercrafts.
"Oh, I want to see this,"
Princessa said, and
the other two followed.
There were people doing
embroidery and booths
of fabric or finished clothes.
Tarnish found his friend Sundew
spreading wool on a blending board.
"What's up?" Tarnish asked her
as he took the nearest seat.
"I'm too pregnant to walk around
all day, so I decided to park here
and make hobbit-themed rolags
for the spinners," said Sundew.
Yeah, she looked like she had
a pumpkin under her dress,
and she was making little rolls
of combed wool in shades of
brown, rust, gray, and cream.
Plus Sundew had Petal in
a sling on her back, the baby
drowsing quietly for now.
Beside her, two older women
were spinning the rolls into
a beautiful variegated yarn
as they talked about fractal
and gradient techniques.
A teen boy was knitting what
might become a shawl from
a ball of the finished yarn.
Sundew's older son Frond
came over with a basket full of
black, gray, and silver wool.
He sat down and started
to card it on big combs.
"Now that's going to make
great yarn," said Tarnish.
"If you comb it all together,
though, won't it lose the colors?"
"Depends on how I comb it,"
said Frond. "I could blend
the colors all the way to get
a medium gray, or do each
of them alone, or in between.
I'm making like a soft heather
with them today. I hope."
"Don't worry, love, you'll
get the hang of it eventually,"
said Sundew. "It takes time."
"Yeah, any skill needs practice,"
Tarnish said. "Hey, I haven't
seen Bulrush or Pip here.
Did they come today?"
Cavalier pointed. "They're
over with the ropemakers."
Tarnish twisted to look, and
saw the two of them making
what looked like garden twine.
"Pip is too frisky and noisy
for Petal," Sundew explained.
"We try to keep him occupied."
"Good plan, and rope is always
a useful thing," said Tarnish.
Then a shadow fell over them.
Seeing a Blue Orc he didn't
know, Tarnish stood up
to protect Sundew.
"It's okay, Tarnish,
Wurtzel is a new friend,"
Sundew assured him.
"He's not like Torgen."
Petal gurgled and
held out her arms,
reaching for the orc.
"That kid has no sense
of self-preservation,"
Tarnish muttered.
Sundew snorted.
"That kid knows who
carries honeygums and
can't say no to a pretty face."
Sure enough, Wurtzel
produced something that
looked like a gummy bear
but was probably homemade.
Petal grabbed it and stuffed it
into her mouth with a happy sound.
"Hi, Sundew," said Wurtzel. "I
came to bring you this." He
passed her a cloth bundle.
"The White Hand is making
seedcakes today," he went on.
"It's relaxing, so let me know if
you like them and I'll bring more.
Oh, and the Ringbearer Circle
sent the fruit and nut bread."
Sundew opened the bundle
to reveal a whole batch of
lovely round seedcakes
that looked like little muffins.
She shared them around,
so Tarnish took a seedcake
and a slice of fruit and nut bread,
even though he just had lunch.
The seedcake was sweet
with shredded carrot and
crunchy from the mix of
seeds scattered on top.
The fruit and nut bread was
sourdough dotted with almonds,
raisins, dried cherries and apricots.
"Thank you for sharing the snack,"
said Tarnish. "I should swing by
the Ringbearer Support Circle."
"You want me to come too?"
Cavalier offered, watching him.
"Nah, I'll manage," said Tarnish,
"but thanks for asking anyway."
Leaving the pleasant glen behind,
he headed back up the lane to
where he had seen the sign
for the two support groups.
The path there forked and led
toward two secluded areas.
He found Foxglove seated
among the Ringbearers.
It wasn't very much like
a therapy group, just folks
sitting around talking quietly
or working on various crafts.
Tarnish got the reference in
the title, though: people who
had been heavily affected by
things they'd seen or done, who
needed sympathetic company.
And yeah, if his superpower
was at all accurate, he was
nowhere near the worst here.
He wouldn't ask about that.
Instead, he sat down beside
Foxglove. "What are you
working on?" he wondered.
"Acorn buttons," she said.
"These are handcast bronze.
Once they come out of the mold,
they need to get cleaned up
and polished smooth."
They looked realistic,
with crosshatched caps
above sleek glossy nuts.
"Nice work," said Tarnish.
"They almost look like jewelry."
"That's the idea," said Foxglove.
"They'll make good buttons for
fancy festival garb. Hey, I heard
that you can bring up the contrast
better than tarnish paste. Could
I talk you into helping with these?"
"Depends on what you're offering
in trade," Tarnish said with a smirk.
"I got a raspberry jam and apple tart
for later," said Foxglove. "How's that?"
"Deal," Tarnish said happily. "Hand
me whatever you want tarnished
and give me an idea what you
want it to look like in the end."
"Realistic," said Foxglove. "I'm
hoping for shades of brown, and
I chose the alloy with that in mind."
"Yeah, I can do that," said Tarnish.
"You won't get all the detail from me --
I've been practicing finer control, but
you'll still need to repolish the highlights."
"No problem," said Foxglove. "Here,
these six are ready for the patina."
So Tarnish used his superpower
to darken the grooves, which
also left the higher parts dull.
Foxglove picked up each button
and carefully polished the high parts.
Now they really looked like acorns.
Then she handed Tarnish his tart and
went back to work on the other buttons.
The tart had a beautiful golden crust,
and the raspberry jam had bubbled up
to coat the sliced apples in pink glaze.
Tarnish wolfed down the first slice
just to fill the gap from using
his superpowers, then slowed
to savor the second slice.
"I should save some of
this for Cavalier and
Princessa," he said,
wrapping the rest of it
back in its waxcloth.
"Here, this is more filling,"
Foxglove said, offering him
more of the fruit and nut bread
that the group had baked. "You
more than earned a share."
"This is good stuff," he said.
He liked the little pops of flavor.
"I would love to get the recipe
so that I can make it at home."
"What recipe?" Foxglove said,
laughing. "You scoop up
your sourdough starter, add
water and flour until it feels
springy. Soak the dried fruit in
tea, add nuts, and fold those
into the dough. Then bake it."
"Okay, maybe I could just watch you
make it some time," said Tarnish.
"Catch me at Withering Heights,"
said Foxglove. "The Swamp Halflings
have some nice stone ovens to use."
"Yeah, I'd like that," said Tarnish, stuffing
the last bit of the bread into his mouth.
"Are you still available for tarnishing?
And can you do that in silverwork?"
asked one of the other members.
"I'm Lymas Riley, and I've been
polishing some of my silverware.
Couldn't stay in the booth anymore."
"It's okay, Lymas, work as long as
you can and then take a break,"
said Foxglove. "That's why we
have a booth for us to share."
"I can do silver," said Tarnish.
"Show me what you have."
Lymas had two baskets of
silver spoons, one unfinished
and one polished. They had
bowls dimpled from hammering
and handles with tiny sculptures
of flowers, corn, or sailing ships.
"There are six different designs,"
said Lymas. "How about you
pick a set of six spoons, and
tarnish however many you
have the energy to do."
Tarnish looked at them.
"Yeah, I can probably get
through these," he said.
He picked out his set,
tarnished them first,
then set them aside.
After that he worked
through the other ones,
handing them off to Lymas,
who started polishing them.
They really did look better
with the shadows darkened.
New silver was too shiny
to see all the fine details.
By the time Tarnish finished,
his belly was gnawing on
his backbone again.
"Eat this," Foxglove said,
pressing a cold meat pie
into Tarnish's hands. "I
sent out one of the kids
to get you something."
It was easily the size of
his fist, and the top crust
had been pinched into
a cute pig's face.
The pie filling was
rich and hearty with
just a hint of spice.
"Thanks," said Tarnish.
"This tastes fantastic."
"Dessert," said Lymas,
uncovering a basket of
honeycakes that had
bees or honeycombs
pressed into the tops.
They were crispy outside
but moist and tender inside.
Lymas even gave Tarnish
enough to take back to
Cavalier and Princessa.
So he set off with half of
a raspberry jam and apple tart,
several fine honeycakes, and
a set of six silver spoons.
"That's quite a haul,"
Cavalier said as he
looked over the loot.
"Yeah," said Tarnish,
"and the best thing?
I didn't even have to act
like a villain to get this."
It really was a merrier world
valuing food and cheer and song.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes appear separately.