Chapter 6 - Foregathering
That evening, as the various elders of the clan were beginning to gather in the main hall of the clan home, Anthony was taking stock of his appearance. He was wearing one of his best dress shirts and dress slacks for the occasion, but wanted to make sure his appearance would be presentable to the elders. He originally thought about wearing his armor and some of his usual day clothing that he wore with it, but decided against it, feeling it would have been a bit pretentious for the dinner.
After feeling he was set to meet the Clan, he walked out of the room and saw the three Mobian ladies already waiting in the hallway. All three appeared to be dressed as if they were going to an opera or other show. Even Amy was wearing a black dress and black dress shoes rather than her usual red clothing. Amy also wore the Descendancy medallion, which stood out against the dress.
Anthony approached the ladies and addressed them. "Ready, ladies?" All three ladies nodded and Anthony escorted them downstairs towards where the dining room was. There they met Olaf as he was giving final instructions to Alison.
"Ah, Anthony," Olaf said as he finished with Alison. "The elders are all gathered inside, and I'll be introducing you before you come in. One thing you should know..."
"What's that?"
"Your two students are going to be a little late. I was told before you came down that they had some trouble with their car, but they were able to find out what was wrong and should be able to make it a little later during the dinner."
"Good..." Anthony said. "You may proceed with the introductions then."
Olaf entered the dining hall and Anthony listened as Olaf made the introductions to the elders as Alison translated to Norwegian for those that could not speak English.
"Fellow members of the Larson Clan...welcome to this momentous occasion. As you know, our clan has recently been made famous due to one of our ancestor's efforts in the recently rediscovered worlds of Arcadia. Tonight...the descendant of that man, one who has helped reunite our world with those worlds and who is now the current Gamemaster of Arcadia, joins us as the greatest of our clan."
Anthony rubbed the bridge of his nose and said to himself, "Oh lord...I'm going to be in the spotlight all night..."
"But first," Olaf continued, "we have some other guests who are with us tonight. Visitors from the world of Mobius, two of whom are telepathics students of the Gamemaster. First, may I present...Sasha Prower, cousin to Tails, and one of the Gamemaster's students..."
Sasha was led into the room by one of the staff and helped to one of the chairs opposite where many of the elders were seated. An applause that accompanied the entrance then died down, and Olaf continued...
"Next...we have a true celebrity with us. May I present Amy Rose, the other of the Gamemaster's students, and her mother, Mary..."
Amy and Mary were led into the room to the sound of applause by the elders. Amy blushed slightly at this, still not used to being treated like a celebrity even though the games of Earth did make her popular.
"And now..." Olaf said, getting the attention of the elders, "I have the distinct pleasure of finally introducing the man who helped bring us to where we are now. A descendant of Sir Eric, who was considered one of the greatest of our clan, and one who I am truly proud to call a clansman. My fellow clansmen, I give you...the current Gamemaster of Arcadia...Mr. Anthony Bault."
As Anthony was led in, he was met by a standing ovation and loud cheer by the elders. Anthony quietly said thank you to the group as he walked in, and was met halfway by one of the elders, who he recognized immediately...
"DAD?!?" Anthony said as he recognized him. "You're the elder of the Bault family?"
"That's correct!" Anthony's father answered. "I was told I was chosen as the elder for the Bault family for the clan since I was the father of the current Gamemaster."
"That's awesome, Dad," Anthony said, and then the two went to their seats as the applause died down. Olaf then stood up and raised a glass in toast...
"Fellow clan members...to the Larson Clan and to Arcadia."
All present raised a glass to return the toast, and then the feast commenced...though not much eating was done. Most of the evening was spent in conversation, and Anthony found himself spending half the time talking with the Clan elders about his adventures in Arcadia. The other half of the time was spent introducing the Mobians to Norwegian cuisine...
"It's called lefse. It's kind of a potato pancake that's eaten with meals where other meals would serve bread. I usually eat it with a little butter and sugar when it's served during the holidays at my home..."
Amy was impressed by Anthony's knowledge of Norwegian culture. "Must be that connection to the Larson Clan you have..."
"Well, it's more the fact that my family tries to serve a lot of food from our heritage. You should try my family's kringlas when Christmas comes, Amy..."
"Kring... huh?"
"It's kind of a pretzel made of sweet bread dough," Anthony explained, then turned to his father and ad-libbed. "Maybe you should have made some for tonight, Dad."
Anthony's father laughed and said, "I think they had enough cooks in there, son."
Olaf laughed to himself at the exchange, and seemed to sense Anthony finally relaxing a bit, even though he was without Anthony's powers...
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As the main course of the dinner was served, which included everything from fresh caught codfish to kjottkaker (meatballs in sauce), a servant whispered something to Olaf, and Olaf nodded in response. He then walked up to where Anthony was and talked to him. "Anthony...I was told your two students have just arrived. Would you like to meet them yourself before I announce them to the group?"
Anthony nodded, got up, and walked with Olaf to the front door. As the two of them approached the door, Anthony noticed two individuals being helped with their coats.
One was a very beautiful looking girl, possibly in her early to mid 20's, with short blonde hair and an average build. The other was a tall and broad shouldered man, possibly in his early 30's, who had a full beard and dark blond hair that was short, but still somewhat long in the back. Olaf walked up to the two of them, and was immediately hugged by the young lady.
"Uncle Olaf," the lady, who Anthony recognized as Jenna, said as she hugged Olaf, "it's so good to see you. It's been ages..."
"So I can tell," Olaf said, and then releasing the hug. "How was the drive over after your car was fixed?"
"Not too bad...though the car was still running a little rough," the man, who Anthony figured was Lars, explained. "I'll have to have a mechanic look..." He then stopped as his eyes fell on Anthony. "Is...is that...?"
Olaf looked towards where Lars was looking and smiled. "He is, indeed, Lars," Olaf said as Anthony stepped forward. "Jenna, Lars...meet Anthony Bault, Gamemaster of Arcadia."
"A pleasure to finally meet my new students," Anthony said as he extended his hand towards the two, and was surprised at how strong Lars's grip was.
"It is truly an honor, cousin," Lars said. "I heard about your adventures in the worlds of Arcadia, but never thought I'd meet you for real! I also never thought I'd be chosen to be one of your psionics students!"
"Well, I'd never thought I'd get these powers in the first place, Lars, so I know how you feel," Anthony said. He then turned towards Jenna, and was even more surprised when Jenna drew him into a light hug.
"Welcome home, cousin," Jenna said, releasing the hug. "It must be wonderful finally meeting all this family you never knew you had."
"Yeah...it's definitely something..." Anthony said. "But we can talk about that at the dinner. Come, the other guests are probably waiting for all of us to reappear...and I'm sure you'll want to meet your other students."
Both Jenna and Lars gave Anthony a confused look. "Other students?" Lars asked.
"That's correct," Anthony explained. "Two Mobian telepaths to be exact. I'm teaching them some other telepathic psionic techniques, so they will be joining us as I give you your lessons. You'll even recognize one of them..."
After Olaf gave the introductions, Anthony led his two new students into the dining hall and towards their chairs. As Jenna and Lars passed by where the Mobians were sitting, their eyes widened as they noticed the pink hedgehog.
"OMIGOSH!!!" Jenna said in surprise. "Is...is that..."
Anthony noticed their reaction and made the introductions. "Indeed it is, Jenna," Anthony said as Amy turned around. "Jenna, Lars...meet Amy Rose, one of my students."
Anthony smiled as Jenna and Lars met with Amy, as well as with Sasha and Mary, and realized this was going to be more interesting than he first thought...
That evening, as the various elders of the clan were beginning to gather in the main hall of the clan home, Anthony was taking stock of his appearance. He was wearing one of his best dress shirts and dress slacks for the occasion, but wanted to make sure his appearance would be presentable to the elders. He originally thought about wearing his armor and some of his usual day clothing that he wore with it, but decided against it, feeling it would have been a bit pretentious for the dinner.
After feeling he was set to meet the Clan, he walked out of the room and saw the three Mobian ladies already waiting in the hallway. All three appeared to be dressed as if they were going to an opera or other show. Even Amy was wearing a black dress and black dress shoes rather than her usual red clothing. Amy also wore the Descendancy medallion, which stood out against the dress.
Anthony approached the ladies and addressed them. "Ready, ladies?" All three ladies nodded and Anthony escorted them downstairs towards where the dining room was. There they met Olaf as he was giving final instructions to Alison.
"Ah, Anthony," Olaf said as he finished with Alison. "The elders are all gathered inside, and I'll be introducing you before you come in. One thing you should know..."
"What's that?"
"Your two students are going to be a little late. I was told before you came down that they had some trouble with their car, but they were able to find out what was wrong and should be able to make it a little later during the dinner."
"Good..." Anthony said. "You may proceed with the introductions then."
Olaf entered the dining hall and Anthony listened as Olaf made the introductions to the elders as Alison translated to Norwegian for those that could not speak English.
"Fellow members of the Larson Clan...welcome to this momentous occasion. As you know, our clan has recently been made famous due to one of our ancestor's efforts in the recently rediscovered worlds of Arcadia. Tonight...the descendant of that man, one who has helped reunite our world with those worlds and who is now the current Gamemaster of Arcadia, joins us as the greatest of our clan."
Anthony rubbed the bridge of his nose and said to himself, "Oh lord...I'm going to be in the spotlight all night..."
"But first," Olaf continued, "we have some other guests who are with us tonight. Visitors from the world of Mobius, two of whom are telepathics students of the Gamemaster. First, may I present...Sasha Prower, cousin to Tails, and one of the Gamemaster's students..."
Sasha was led into the room by one of the staff and helped to one of the chairs opposite where many of the elders were seated. An applause that accompanied the entrance then died down, and Olaf continued...
"Next...we have a true celebrity with us. May I present Amy Rose, the other of the Gamemaster's students, and her mother, Mary..."
Amy and Mary were led into the room to the sound of applause by the elders. Amy blushed slightly at this, still not used to being treated like a celebrity even though the games of Earth did make her popular.
"And now..." Olaf said, getting the attention of the elders, "I have the distinct pleasure of finally introducing the man who helped bring us to where we are now. A descendant of Sir Eric, who was considered one of the greatest of our clan, and one who I am truly proud to call a clansman. My fellow clansmen, I give you...the current Gamemaster of Arcadia...Mr. Anthony Bault."
As Anthony was led in, he was met by a standing ovation and loud cheer by the elders. Anthony quietly said thank you to the group as he walked in, and was met halfway by one of the elders, who he recognized immediately...
"DAD?!?" Anthony said as he recognized him. "You're the elder of the Bault family?"
"That's correct!" Anthony's father answered. "I was told I was chosen as the elder for the Bault family for the clan since I was the father of the current Gamemaster."
"That's awesome, Dad," Anthony said, and then the two went to their seats as the applause died down. Olaf then stood up and raised a glass in toast...
"Fellow clan members...to the Larson Clan and to Arcadia."
All present raised a glass to return the toast, and then the feast commenced...though not much eating was done. Most of the evening was spent in conversation, and Anthony found himself spending half the time talking with the Clan elders about his adventures in Arcadia. The other half of the time was spent introducing the Mobians to Norwegian cuisine...
"It's called lefse. It's kind of a potato pancake that's eaten with meals where other meals would serve bread. I usually eat it with a little butter and sugar when it's served during the holidays at my home..."
Amy was impressed by Anthony's knowledge of Norwegian culture. "Must be that connection to the Larson Clan you have..."
"Well, it's more the fact that my family tries to serve a lot of food from our heritage. You should try my family's kringlas when Christmas comes, Amy..."
"Kring... huh?"
"It's kind of a pretzel made of sweet bread dough," Anthony explained, then turned to his father and ad-libbed. "Maybe you should have made some for tonight, Dad."
Anthony's father laughed and said, "I think they had enough cooks in there, son."
Olaf laughed to himself at the exchange, and seemed to sense Anthony finally relaxing a bit, even though he was without Anthony's powers...
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As the main course of the dinner was served, which included everything from fresh caught codfish to kjottkaker (meatballs in sauce), a servant whispered something to Olaf, and Olaf nodded in response. He then walked up to where Anthony was and talked to him. "Anthony...I was told your two students have just arrived. Would you like to meet them yourself before I announce them to the group?"
Anthony nodded, got up, and walked with Olaf to the front door. As the two of them approached the door, Anthony noticed two individuals being helped with their coats.
One was a very beautiful looking girl, possibly in her early to mid 20's, with short blonde hair and an average build. The other was a tall and broad shouldered man, possibly in his early 30's, who had a full beard and dark blond hair that was short, but still somewhat long in the back. Olaf walked up to the two of them, and was immediately hugged by the young lady.
"Uncle Olaf," the lady, who Anthony recognized as Jenna, said as she hugged Olaf, "it's so good to see you. It's been ages..."
"So I can tell," Olaf said, and then releasing the hug. "How was the drive over after your car was fixed?"
"Not too bad...though the car was still running a little rough," the man, who Anthony figured was Lars, explained. "I'll have to have a mechanic look..." He then stopped as his eyes fell on Anthony. "Is...is that...?"
Olaf looked towards where Lars was looking and smiled. "He is, indeed, Lars," Olaf said as Anthony stepped forward. "Jenna, Lars...meet Anthony Bault, Gamemaster of Arcadia."
"A pleasure to finally meet my new students," Anthony said as he extended his hand towards the two, and was surprised at how strong Lars's grip was.
"It is truly an honor, cousin," Lars said. "I heard about your adventures in the worlds of Arcadia, but never thought I'd meet you for real! I also never thought I'd be chosen to be one of your psionics students!"
"Well, I'd never thought I'd get these powers in the first place, Lars, so I know how you feel," Anthony said. He then turned towards Jenna, and was even more surprised when Jenna drew him into a light hug.
"Welcome home, cousin," Jenna said, releasing the hug. "It must be wonderful finally meeting all this family you never knew you had."
"Yeah...it's definitely something..." Anthony said. "But we can talk about that at the dinner. Come, the other guests are probably waiting for all of us to reappear...and I'm sure you'll want to meet your other students."
Both Jenna and Lars gave Anthony a confused look. "Other students?" Lars asked.
"That's correct," Anthony explained. "Two Mobian telepaths to be exact. I'm teaching them some other telepathic psionic techniques, so they will be joining us as I give you your lessons. You'll even recognize one of them..."
After Olaf gave the introductions, Anthony led his two new students into the dining hall and towards their chairs. As Jenna and Lars passed by where the Mobians were sitting, their eyes widened as they noticed the pink hedgehog.
"OMIGOSH!!!" Jenna said in surprise. "Is...is that..."
Anthony noticed their reaction and made the introductions. "Indeed it is, Jenna," Anthony said as Amy turned around. "Jenna, Lars...meet Amy Rose, one of my students."
Anthony smiled as Jenna and Lars met with Amy, as well as with Sasha and Mary, and realized this was going to be more interesting than he first thought...