Marah and Kapri had actually managed to make a decent meal for Cam
and his father. While they argued amongst themselves about what should be
served first, what beverage goes best with pork dumplings, and what color
placemats would best provide an appropriate atmosphere of a traditional
Japanese meal, Cam and Kanoi seated themselves.
"Dad, this looks like real food. What have you been teaching them?" Cam said as he poked and prodded the napkin sculpture in the center of his plate. It was folded in the shape of an origami crane.
Marah stopped arguing with Kapri long enough to notice Cam's attention to the birdlike figure and smiled. "Do you like that? We're totally good at ora... ori... folding napkins!"
Kapri walked over to the table with four rolled up bamboo mats under her arm. "It's called origami. The art of folding paper," she said matter- of-factly. Kapri lifted the plates one by one and laid the mats underneath. After eyeing the fabric crane on Kanoi's plate for a moment, she said, "Uncle, I was expecting you to sit at the head of the table." She smiled and exchanged the sensei's crane with another napkin from the empty seat at the head of the table. "It's a guinea pig."
The brunette could hardly contain her giggling. "Kapri, I told you not to do that!" she said with her hand over her mouth. She lifted her hand and attempted to look stern. "I'm sure uncle's very sensitive about that..."
But the sensei found this greatly amusing. "Delightful!" he said as he laughed.
Cam forced a smile. "It even has your silly little hat, dad."
"I'm just afraid I'll make a mess and have to use it!"
"Oh, don't worry, uncle!" Kapri said as she began serving the meal. "We put so much starch in those napkins that they'll stay like that until you wash them!"
Halfway through the meal, Kanoi looked up from his nearly empty plate. "I am pleased to see how far you girls have progressed," he began, took a sip of water, and continued-- "It appears that you no longer bear the influence of a certain, erm, self-styled Evil Space Ninja."
"Dad, this looks like real food. What have you been teaching them?" Cam said as he poked and prodded the napkin sculpture in the center of his plate. It was folded in the shape of an origami crane.
Marah stopped arguing with Kapri long enough to notice Cam's attention to the birdlike figure and smiled. "Do you like that? We're totally good at ora... ori... folding napkins!"
Kapri walked over to the table with four rolled up bamboo mats under her arm. "It's called origami. The art of folding paper," she said matter- of-factly. Kapri lifted the plates one by one and laid the mats underneath. After eyeing the fabric crane on Kanoi's plate for a moment, she said, "Uncle, I was expecting you to sit at the head of the table." She smiled and exchanged the sensei's crane with another napkin from the empty seat at the head of the table. "It's a guinea pig."
The brunette could hardly contain her giggling. "Kapri, I told you not to do that!" she said with her hand over her mouth. She lifted her hand and attempted to look stern. "I'm sure uncle's very sensitive about that..."
But the sensei found this greatly amusing. "Delightful!" he said as he laughed.
Cam forced a smile. "It even has your silly little hat, dad."
"I'm just afraid I'll make a mess and have to use it!"
"Oh, don't worry, uncle!" Kapri said as she began serving the meal. "We put so much starch in those napkins that they'll stay like that until you wash them!"
Halfway through the meal, Kanoi looked up from his nearly empty plate. "I am pleased to see how far you girls have progressed," he began, took a sip of water, and continued-- "It appears that you no longer bear the influence of a certain, erm, self-styled Evil Space Ninja."
