We move to the following day.

After their evening in Taroduna, the Court of the Queen of the Black Forest Elves... with whatever details are yet to be filled in... the characters manage to reassemble the next day.

Hylensia is managing breakfast, which involves lots of flat breads with honey.

"Elves do seem to have a sweet tooth," she explains.  "They have so much honey.  They gave us some.  They were quite surprised that we had little ourselves!  Now there's honey for bread, honey to go in tea... "

Argentos has been giving thought to today's performance.  Celeste had predicted it, she knows her father.  Argentos believes that yes, that Fox's over the top hinting about the world outside the Black Forest meant something.

"And since the Queen did not simply banish the creature, and in fact she invited us here... well I have already picked up speculation that there is less disagreement between the two than meets the eye.  But monarchs, even Elven monarchs, are heavily bound in what they can do and say, more so than many think.  She wants the outside world, we shall give it to her, the theme for today is Distant Lands.  That is what we shall celebrate."

Unseen by most, Alayna came sneaking into camp, still the hint of sleep in her young eyes. She made her way carefully to her own place, hoping she could get a bit of sleep before she had to start getting ready. She hoped no one would see her. Or see she was late getting up.

She paused as she smelled the bread and honey. Oh, she loved honey! She wondered if she could abscond with some, taking it back to her wagon.

Tahra woke refreshed to watch the sun rise. She climbed down, took care of her bodily needs and made sure Klimmin was snugged in his pocket nest.

She went to the Argentos with this proposal: I should like at the outset to start the tale of stone soup, furthering it along between performances, I actually want to make the soup, so I'll need a large kettle with fire underneath. Also, I"ll want to go around begging some foodstuffs from this elf an that. I'll also need pails of water.

Nwofia smiled at the sight of so much honey.  "That is a lot of honey," she said.  "If we can find Gesho, we can make Tej".  After a moment or two, she realises that nobody speaks any of the languages of her homeland and for a moment, tears well up and threaten to fall although they do not.  Instead, she dries her eyes and says.  "Mead.  I think you call it mead.  Or if we can find any ice, we can make Honeyjack."

She doesn't translate the word 'Gesho' but instead asks Topaz or a friendly elf or both about bitter plants growing in the area. She talks enthusiastically, explaining patiently how mead is made and then how, if one has access to ice, from the Alps say, it can be cold-distilled by freezing the mead and then filtering out the ice, leaving behind a smooth spirit she calls 'honey baraka' (honeyjack).