| Characters | Katailea, Tejra, Yaromil |
| Synopsis | The short version is… Yaromil's in so much trouble. |
| Out-of-Character Date | February 7, 2020 |
Igen Weyr - Kitchens
The kitchens are located in an elongated bubble in the sandstone. Carved chimneys keep the air flowing from the cooking hearths and ovens to the outside, leaving the inside filled with only the delicious smells of cooked food. There are long tables for food preparation with shelving beneath them to store most of the frequently used pots. On the wall opposite the hearths and ovens are a layer of stone shelves carved from the rock itself and overlayed with a much harder granite and metal sinks to keep from eroding away. Water is piped in to this area and flows easily whnever the taps are let open. Sevral swinging doors lead intot he living cavern, while smaller curtained openings on the opposite end lead into storage caverns and the hydroponic gardens.
Not everybody can be a baker, but yet there has been a small cluster of candidates SPECIALLY CHOSEN to be shuffled into the kitchens at an unbearably early hour of the morning. At least klah was provided as a flour covered baker gives a spiel of what exactly this army of brute force labor will be used for. Yaromil yawns through most of it, but gets the gist. Churning and kneading and lots of it in most forms and fashions that can be imagined. Eventually, instruction time ends and they're shooed to their respective tasks. It takes quite the effort to manage to wrangle a butter churn while not setting down the klah mug, but Yaro's in the process of doing exactly that and he's only spilled about three drops of klah so far in the process.
The truth about Igen is that there's really only a handful of times in a day where it's feasible for the average unadjusted foreigner to exercise outdoors without succumbing to heat stroke. This is why Tejra is weaving her way around the workers in the already awoken kitchen, looking invigorated. Yes, that's right, she's one of those people for whom exercise is a delight and leaves them looking and feeling peppier then taking a long nap in the afternoon (although, fairly, Tej is guilty of those indulgences when the schedule permits, too). The press gang of workers deserve her attention by dint of their white knots, and maybe, maybe, just one in particular because she has to swan over to where Yaromil is juggling to try to whisk his mug right out of his hand, letting her melodic purr sound a, "Here, let me help," in a way that surely will terrify zero people in this room.
Katailea is often awake early, but this morning even she is dragging. An hand lifts so she can yawn into her forearm avoiding the flour on her hands in that momentary break from kneading dough. It's something she's had practice at before, its just been awhile and never in the quantities of the Weyr. A smirk is sent towards Tejra's not quite greeting to Yaromil, "Morning," the idle greeting follows for the other woman, though she's not about to give warning out loud about not sticking around too long. That might bring attention from their captors overseers that much sooner, but really Tej stick around too long and you too will get put to work.
Over Yaromil's cold, dead fingers would Tejra be able to pry that mug from his hand! While he's so focused on keeping an iron grip on the mug the harper is so helpfully trying to whisk away, he loses focus on the juggling and the churn slips from his other arm to thunk down onto the floor, but not before hitting at least one and maybe two feet along the way. "Shardin'…." He'll cut off whatever he was going to say because he's too busy trying to switch hands without ceding the mug to Tejra because the other hand needs to be flapped about from where a few drops of the still hot klah spilled on it. Today is not Yaro's day, but he'll still give a half-hearted and mostly auto-piloted wave towards Katailea's greeting.
Let it not be said that Tejra is completely without a heart. She does reach a hand to steady the dropped butter churn when her fellow candidate loses hold… but she also doesn't relinquish her grasp on his mug of klah. "Tsk, prioritizing yourself over the needs of the Weyr. That's not very dragonriderly of you." As if Tej would have any idea what's dragonriderly aside from her experiences of living at Xanadu. Well, she makes herself sound every bit the authority on the subject. "Why don't I just hold this while you get settled?" She flashes the young man one of her charming smiles, the kind a person who trusts snakes should trust. She lets the warmth from that smile go toward Katailea and her greeting, but then pale eyes catch on the face that niggles at memory and she squints. "I've met you." She probably doesn't mean in the barracks, because she's certainly seen her there, too, but probably not paid enough attention to really connect memory with present. "At Xanadu?" She lofts the question, but in an undertone that shouldn't bring any managers down on their hard-working heads.
Katailea might have said something if Tejra hadn't offered that help with the churn. Never mind that she's still after the other's klah. "Still trying to work," she does offer for Yaromil's defense. Not everyone can be as peppy first thing in the morning as others. The other woman's offer to hold the drink does see a smirk from the blonde all the same. "Mmhmm," she adds with a nod a moment later, confirming that yes, they have met before in the south. "Harper, right?"
The only response Yaromil has for Tejra and her lecture is a very low growl as he grumbles and takes back the mug. The liquid is probably still too hot for it to be a wise move, but he gulps it all down without taking a break until its empty. Now that the precious klah is saved, he wipes his mouth with his sleeve and surrenders the mug. "So kind of you to be looking out. If you take that to the dish station I can get to churning so much quicker." With a free hand now, he's able to get a proper grip on the churn. The recognition of both former Xanadian's gets a suspicious look over his shoulder.
"That's right," Tej confirms for the woman. "Candidate. Again? Still?" She corrects her choice of word with another squint for Katailea. "This time they gave me one of those things, too," a gesture to the shoulder where hers is not, but shortly will surely have to be. After all, she's been out exercising. Maybe the knot just doesn't go with the pantaloons that fit at hips and ankles and form-fitting but fully covering top. It's possible. If Tejra were any kind of predictable, she'd be grinding her teeth at Yaromil's stupid-but-effective ploy, but that just wouldn't be the redhead's style. Instead, there's the beginning of a smile as the man starts to chug, and giggles by the time that he finishes and places the mug into her hands. She salutes him with it, conceding a singular point in the ongoing low-key battle between the two. "You know me, Puss, always looking to help you in whatever way I can." Cue a look of magnanimity. Obviously that's Tej all over. Still, she doesn't go to the recommended station with the mug. She just lingers. Maybe she'll offer tips on technique next!
"Again," Katailea confirms with a slight nod. "Congratulations?" she adds, somewhere between question and actual meaning of the word, Tejra not appearing to be overly excited by the prospect of standing at the moment anyway even if she did agree to it at one point in time to get that knot she's not wearing. "Katailea," the blonde offers her name for the pair of them. "Clearly you two have had time to get to know each other already," added, amusement evident in her voice. That or they knew each other before perhaps.
Stupid but effective is still effective! If it weren't so early and his throat wasn't slightly scalded from the stunt, Yaromil would probably be grinning. As it is, he just shrugs off, even as the harper lingers. The churn is set down next to a stool and next he goes to fetch a bucket of cream which he pours in to his churn. Settled down and sleeves rolled up, it's time to finally get to work. There's a snort for Katailea's observation. "Wouldn't say it took much time. She just appeared and won't seem to leave." Yes, that's Yaro publically accusing Tej of only candidating to be a plague on his own person.
She'll take it, with a, "Thank you," for Katailea. "Tej," she offers in kind, behaving for all the world as though she can't even hear Yaromil's blathering. "This is Puss," she helpfully introduces the younger man to the other recently-Xanadoan. "I'm not sure that the healers don't need to have a look at him for his chronic case of crabbiness, but that's between him and his healer." Let's not say Tejra is never generous with privacy. "I'm convinced there must be a cure. Maybe it can even be found here in Igen. I'm afraid I feel duty-bound to stay and find out. Out of concern." Look at all the COMPLETE LACK OF CONCERN all over Tej's face. She flashes a smile to Katailea. "Feel free to fun him up, if you think you can manage it." Nevermind that she's speaking of Yaromil as if he weren't there. It's fine.
"Well aren't you two just the best of friends," Katailea replies, the words covered in sarcasm and a smirk. At least they aren't fighting, that would certainly draw attention, but apparently as long as there's the appearance of working being done no one's interrupting the conversation for now it would seem. Giggling at Tejra's commentary, "I'm sure there's a few things we could try." TO add some fun to the young man's portfolio. Maybe.
All work and no play might be just the way Yaromil likes it. Or at least what he's trying to convince the world as a whole at the moment. While the girls discuss, he steadily focuses on the butter churn. Up and down and up and down. Not going to take too long to break out in a sweat at that rate. "You could turn your attention to someone that wants it. Like her. Y'all can have fun together."
Did Yaromil think his comment was going to earn him any less than a ruffle of Tej's fingers through his hair, unless he's quick on the duck? "Now, now, Puss, I think you ought to hear the woman out. We know how to have fun in Xanadu." It may be a lofty claim, and 'fun' may translate into 'insanity' for many people, but such is life. "Where do you think we ought to start with him? So far I know that he hates words with two meanings but loves enormous, boring books and is sort of a coward about trying new things," she offers in a friendly fashion to Katailea. It may be Katailea's last chance to run from being included in the harper's nefarious plans.
Katailea does enjoy a good time, though she may not be completely on board with Xanadu level insanity. Even she might need a little more breaking into that, but generalized fun is almost always a go. "Hmm…" she considers the options, pausing in her working of the dough, lips twisting in thought. "Leave the books for one," not exactly an idea of what to do, but certainly a place to start.
Yaromil doesn't completely avoid the hair ruffle but he does pull his head back and bares his teeth as if considering if biting would break that no fighting rule but teeth remain to himself for now. "Wouldn't the coward thing make the rest of it all…" He takes one hand off the churn long enough to give a wave. "Pointless?" He's still not onboard that whatever they might deem 'fun' aligns with his.
"Only if you're determined to remain a coward, and even then, there are ways," Tej deigns to talk to the subject of the conversation who wisely doesn't bite her because, yes, biting is fighting, Yaromil. "It just is more fun for me if you resist." She flashes him another winning smile before depositing his empty mug on the edge of his butter churn and walking over toward Katailea and her task. At least he gained some proximity from Tej? Also a dirty mug, but maybe that's a fair trade, especially since it's his mug. "Books can be fun," Tej argues, "But not the kind he's reading. Maybe we just start replacing his books with ones with racy scenes." She probably means runner races, it's fine. Nothing to worry about.
"What she said," the blonde easily agrees with the harper, nodding her head in the other woman's direction to show her agreement with the statement on cowardice. "Can they?" Katailea is going to question the idea if books being fun, a slender brow raising at the thought. Green eyes turn down to the task at hand for a moment as she puts one batch to the side to replace it with the next to be kneaded, a hand lifting to brush a stray strand of hair from her face leaves a smudge of flour in its place across her cheek. "Maybe," she comments on the replacement idea, but she doesn't sound completely convinced either. "Rather just forget books all together and go swimming."
"I'll have you know…" Yaromil drawls out as he continues his own chore. Churn-churn-churn. "I got a new book." He'll leave it at there but on the off chance someone has been poking through his things its definitely a book with pirates, but sadly not the smexy kind. The ones that are getting caught kind. He shakes his head at Katailea's suggestion or maybe it's just to get his curly hair out of his eyes. "Don't know how to swim." He's lived all his life in the desert, what more do you expect?
"Swimming is good, too." The harper agrees, even if Yaromil doesn't. Tej flashes a smile at the blonde. "We'll have to try that some afternoon." Did she hear the man say he couldn't swim? "Maybe one day while we're washing dragons," since that's a regular chore, and one the redhead likes, judging by her grin. "If you'll excuse me, Katailea. I hear there's a new book waiting for me in the barracks." Spoiler alert: it's Puss'. And off she goes, unfettered by the chains that keep those candidates bound to the kitchen for at least as long as it takes her to search for this fabled new book and probably get along to her own duties for the day.
"Could teach you." Tejra might ignore the fact that Yaromil just told them he can't swim, but Katailea will offer that at least. Whether he takes either of them up on the idea is all on him. Unless one, or both, drag him into it in the future. A grin and a nod is all the agreement that's shared with the harper, swimming next time they're washing dragons is a go. "Later," she offers as the other woman takes her leave of the kitchen.
Yaromil shrugs to all those offers of learning as if he couldn't care less. "Think one of the weyrlingmasters mentioned something about it." Surely there will be at least basic water safety classes so if he does end up bonded to a dragon enthusiastic baby shenanigans don't accidentally drown him or anybody else. As Tejra so suspiciously excuses herself, the lad scowls at her exit and grumbles. "Should hide a shardin' tunnelsnake in my trunk next time." Serve the snoops right! It might even be dead. Or not.
If he doesn't want to take her up on the offer Katailea isn't about to push the issue. A nod follows the mention of the weyrlingmaster's commentary. Surely there will be something. "That could work," the trader agrees about a potential hidden tunnelsnake. How that particular snoop that just left might react she couldn't say, but it could work. "So what is your name?" Because she's pretty sure it's not Puss.
Yaromil will have to file that thought away for later. For a time when he can find a tanner or trader who might have an odd side job of making taxidermied tunnelsnakes and other vermin. But there are other things that need answering. Like names. "Yaromil." It's a short answer, but it's all that was asked and now it seems like all that frustrated churning has produced some results since at least batch one of the butter is done and the lad is off to make sure it's stored properly before eventually resuming with round two. At some point the bakers will release them the endless preparations, right?
