Difference between revisions of "Logs:On The Boringness Of Endless Stew"

Kitchen, High Reaches Weyr

Polished marble and granite surfaces, gleaming metalwork and pale woods characterize the vaulted fastness of the kitchen. Several large hearths gape red-mouthed against the outer wall of the cavern, their fires almost always stoked for the constant cooking the Weyr requires to feed its denizens. Sinks line the wall to one side of the hearths, providing ample space to wash large quantities of dishes, while to the other, cabinetry and a deep pantry provide storage space for items commonly needed on a day-to-day basis.

The remaining wall space is taken up by passageways and extra seating: swinging doors that lead variously to the main living cavern, the inner caverns and the storage rooms, a counter-height pass-through for food service to the Snowasis, and a series of nooks equipped with tables and benches for quick, out-of-the-way meals any time of day.

Service is in full swing in the kitchen, though it's not quite as busy as it might be, given that the selection of dishes to be prepared is far from lavish. Even so, there's a good buzz to accompany the activity and the rich smell of stew fills the air as more is prepared to refill the supply in the living caverns beyond, where members of the Weyr are enjoying their dinner. One rider who isn't out there, however, is N'ky, who is in a corner of the kitchen not far from the inner caverns' entrance, with two large sacks settled on the floor in front of him. He's in talks with one of the more senior kitchen workers, the culmination of which leaves the greenrider smiling as he hands the sacks over, before grabbing a bowl of stew and a hunk of bread to retreat into one of the little alcoves.

Madilla's a familiar face in the kitchens, and someone the kitchen workers seem inclined to greet with warmth, despite their business. She arrives on the tail end of N'ky's transaction, and lingers just out of the way until after he's finished, at which point she approaches to have her own quiet word, and then fetch some stew of her own. Her footsteps initially lead her past N'ky's alcove and towards one of the others, but then she stopped, swerving in so that she can pause and say, "N'ky. How are you? Do you mind company?"

N'ky looks up from where he's hunched over his stew, spoon paused halfway to his mouth when Madilla stops. "Hi," he replies, setting it back down in his bowl and sitting up straighter, giving the Healer a warm smile. With one hand he gestures to the seat opposite him, giving her a little go-ahead shrug of his shoulders. "I'm good, thank you, Madilla. Weyrhealer Madilla." The title's tacked on with a touch of anxiety - and apology - for having left it off. "How are you?"

"'Madilla' is just fine," reassures the Weyrhealer with a smile, as she slides into the chair across from N'ky. "I'm not on duty, and we're friends, aren't we?" She adjusts her bowl in front of her, then picks up her fork, digging into the stew as she continues her answer. "I'm well. Thank you. Although it would be nice if there were less rain sometime soon. After all that time looking forward to spring, I think I'm just focusing my attention on summer, now. Are you settling in to being a full rider? I meant to say: congratulations."

"Madilla." The permission to use just her name makes N'ky blush softly, though his grin is certainly pleased. While she talks he raises another spoonful of stew, though it doesn't get any higher than an inch or so above his bowl before he replies to her. "Thank you. It's, um... a lot of Crom. I always seem to pull duties at Crom. Watchriding's a little dull and Cailluneth isn't so keen on it, but there are worse things." He snorts in soft amusement. "I used to love the rain. But when you end up out in it all the time? ... it's not as fun."

Madilla's smile is both wry and knowing. "Don't I know it," she agrees. "It's miserable, walking across the bowl in it - and it isn't as though I'm in it all day. I feel for you." The chews and swallows in between words, stretching out her shoulders at much the same time. It's obviously been a long day; she looks tired. "I imagine a lot of riderly duties are dull, sadly. Though I suppose dull is better than exciting in some ways, since 'exciting' tends to mean problems for someone. It's often the same in the Infirmary, for that matter."

N'ky nods. "Drills are alright, and I don't mind doing sweeps so much, because it's interesting to see everything that I've not seen before, but I guess I'll get used to it all eventually? Though Cailluneth sees things so differently that I guess things will never look the same, if I see it from her perspective." He swirls his spoon in his dinner, then pulls off a few bite-sized pieces of bread to drop them in to soak. "We're doing our own thing in our free time, anyway. That's keeping us busy. How are things in the Infirmary?"

"I suppose things do change on sweeps, too. New fields, new buildings, new..." Madilla waves one of her hands vaguely, rather as if she's run out of other things to say, even if she's sure there must be other things. "I'm glad Cailluneth keeps it interesting, too. And your own things. It must be nice to have such freedom." Of the Infirmary, she hesitates, though her smile doesn't waver. "Oh, much the same as always. H'kon broke his wrist, and Quielle's just about ready to go into labour at any time, and - all kinds of things. I'm keeping busy, certainly."

The wry sort of look that N'ky gives Madilla when she runs out of things is sympathetic; he can't think of anything else that might make it especially interesting, either. "It's just a little bit of freedom, but it's enough for us to do what we want to do, and that's all I need, I guess? Though it's not really enough to be able to keep up with everyone else. I, um... I miss some of my clutchmates." The mention of H'kon makes him smirk, though not unkindly. "Yeah. He's, um... Sisha sort of assigned him to, um, settle me in, I guess? He doesn't like me so much though, so..." A deep shrug of his shoulders suggests it's not the smoothest of relationships. "I think Quielle will have a baby girl."

Something in Madilla's expression twitches at that reference to H'kon, but it's the earlier remark that she tackles, first, with a short nod to go with it. "It's very strange to go from living and working and studying with the same group of people for so long to being... different and separate all the time. I've lost touch with most of the Apprentices I studied with, sadly." It's as she spears a piece of tuber that she adds, "If it helps, H'kon's difficult for many people to get to know. I wouldn't take it personally. Do you? She says she really has no idea. I just hope he or she is healthy."

"Yeah, he's just... H'kon." N'ky's nose wrinkles, his lips pursing; it is what it is - or rather, he is what he is, and the greenrider knows there's nothing to be done about it. "I think Sisha was hoping I'd be good for him. That's what she said, anyway. Because of our dragons. She thinks Arekoth and Cailluneth are, um, similar, I guess? Though we don't know Arekoth enough to really know." He shrugs a shoulder, then smiles a somewhat cheeky little smile. "I was thinking about maybe leaving a little bundle of cookies on his ledge for him. I thought it might make him smile, maybe?" Or maybe not; N'ky looks dubious. Quielle and her oncoming little one is a topic that's then latched onto. "Babies smell good. I used to help our with them a bit when I was smaller... they're all wiggly and stuff."

There's more amusement in Madilla's expression for N'ky's nose wrinkle, but it seems to be general good humour rather than targeted at N'ky in particular - or H'kon, for that matter. "Arekoth is..." Words fail. "Well, I can't say I know him well, either, but I would say that he needs some good influences at times... though I very much doubt he would pay them any mind. The easiest way I know to earn H'kon's approval is to do your duty, and be a responsible, capable person. His smiles are more difficult." Which has her smiling, and in a way that could almost be characterised as 'fond'. "They do, don't they? Babies. And - ah. I miss my children being babies, sometimes. They're more interesting as people, now, but... babies are just lovely."

"There were always a lot of babies when I was growing up. There were my two little sisters, and so many cousins, and then everyone else's babies too. Plus all the lambs and crias..." N'ky grins fondly as he scoops up one of his long-soaked pieces of bread from his bowl of stew, barely chewing it before it's swallowed down. "Lambs are cute, but the crias were always my favourite. They're so spindly." Not unlike the greenrider was himself, when he arrived at the Weyr - like he still is, in many ways. Then, raising his gaze to look at the Healer, he shifts the topic elsewhere: "Are you bored of stew, Madilla?"

"We had lots of babies, too," says Madilla, with a smile. "Though very few of the animal variety. No sheep or-- crias." N'ky's change in topic has her expression shifting, brows knitting in consideration and lips parting, though she's slow to come out with an answer. "When I was a child," she says, which may not seem to be an answer, immediately, "we occassionally had very little food at all. It was the Comet Pass, and things got... tight, for a long time. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I'm always grateful to have food, whatever it is. Though, certainly, it would be nice to have more variety."

N'ky listens as he fishes around to scoop out the last good bits from his stew, looking up occasionally between spoonfuls with mostly tuber and fingerroot. "I'm n-not ungrateful for the food," he's quick to point out, the stutter showing the little bit of worry he has, that he might have come across that way. "But I, um... the th-thing I'm doing. In my spare time? I'm... I've got a lot of extra... um..." He pauses, trying to pull his thoughts together more clearly. In doing so, he takes a slightly different tack. "Do you and your children like mutton? I can bring you some. F-free, of course. I end up with more than Cailluneth and I can eat, and..." He shrugs. "I don't like to waste anything."

Madilla is quick to shake her head: no, no, she doesn't think he's ungrateful. His offer, so roundabout, seems to confuse her at first-- her brows knit together, her mouth drawing into a pursed shape. "I won't turn it down," she owns, by the time he's gotten the whole of his explanation out. "Though - where are you getting it? Not that I'm implying anything wrong, I'm just curious."

"We're being encouraged to hunt outside of the Weyr," N'ky replies vaguely, scooping up the last spoonful of stew, before mopping the bowl clean with what's left of his bread. "So we're hunting outside of the Weyr. I'm... working on something. Just a project for some, um, extra marks, a-and to, um, well. Maybe it might help the Weyr a bit if at least one person isn't eating here? Or eating less here, anyway. If you're finished," he nods towards her dinner, "I'll put it in with mine to be washed?" Then, after a beat, "It's not hurting anyone, where I'm getting it from. Promise."

Madilla can't entirely hide her dubiousness, though she attempts to do so, pushing a smile into place. "Well - if you say so. I certainly won't turn it down, as long as it is... legitimate." She pushes her empty bowl away, acknowledging N'ky's offer. "Thank you. Look after yourself, N'ky. And your Cailluneth."

"Completely, 110 per cent legitimate, I promise." N'ky's smile is genuine and intended to be reassuring, as he slips out of the booth and picks up both his and Madilla's bowls. "I will do. And you take care too? I'll come by with the stuff in a couple of days or so, whenever I've got time. Have a good night!" His head dips in a polite farewell, before the greenrider wanders off to drop dishes in to be cleaned on his way out into the living cavern.