Imenry carefully hung her scarf and jacket on the lowest peg next to the door. Her Daddy had put that one there for her. She wiggled her toe in the rapidly warming wool of her socks and smiled. "Mama cooks good."
A woman rounded the corner from the main room where the cooking fire was. She wore leathers and a simple blouse, her long brown hair tied back with a strip of hide. The women in the village rarely wore dresses. It was simply too cold, and they would be out in the snow fetching wood and helping with the planting. She smiled, her gaze shifting on the little boy at her daughter's side.
"It seems you brought someone home with you. Are you staying for supper, young man?" It was quite possible that Gedelle Barras already knew who the boy was, or had a good idea. Her father was the village elder and he knew everyone and their business. It was thought that one day she might take on his mantle; tasked with maintaining the history of their people through oral tales and stories.
"That's my Mama," Imenry muttered towards her new friend and then spoke louder. "This is Brennan. Can he stay? We were playin..."
"Of course, he's welcome to. You still have a little bit of time before your father gets home. Why don't you set the table for me? Then you can play in your room till he gets here."
"Kay," Imenry agreed, wandering towards the cupboard where the dishes and cutlery was kept. The house itself was laid out inside like all the others, a small entryway with a second door to help keep out the chill, and then a larger main room with a fireplace, a table, and narrow counters for food preparations. There was a large basin there with water that her mother had probably made from melting snow. There was a door that led down to the cellar where food was stored along with medicines and other perishables.
In a box beneath the window that got the most sun was a small garden of herbs, clusters of fragrant greens. If one were to walk straight back they'd find the washroom and her parent's bedroom. Against the wall between that and the main room was a staircase that led up to her room.
The plates clattered together as Imenry pulled them out of the cupboard; three for her and Daddy and Mama, plus one more for Brennan. She carried them to the table.