Logs:Living On The Wild Side
| |
|---|
| |
| RL Date: 7 December, 2009 |
| Who: Gustav, Madilla |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Gustav is quirky, and Madilla surprisingly taken with it. |
| Where: Kitchen, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 3, Month 6, Turn 21 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Gabrion/Mentions |
| 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. It's far past dinner time and even desert, which may be why Gustav has picked the kitchen to sit and relax. There are very few workers on, just enough to keep the place going through the night and into the morning rush. He's tucked away into one of the nooks, a light knit blanket slinging to his shoulders and held close. Though it may not be freezing outside or in, it's still a little chill and he does look cold as he sits there spooning hot stew into his mouth. Healers sometimes work peculiar hours, so perhaps it's no real surprise for Madilla to be climbing the stairs up to the kitchen at this hour of the evening, and begging something fresh off the cooks. They seem willing - even eager - to oblige, and so it's with stew and a couple of little pastries that the healer turns back towards the nooks, her path taking her past Gustav, though as yet she doesn't appear to have noticed him. Gustav's attention is drawn up by the talking, more so the new voice added to the mix. His eyes trace a steady path towards Madilla and then follow her long with increasing pleasure as she gets closer and closer to him. He just happens to knock his spoon onto the floor before she passes him completely, an action that forces him to get up and begin searching for the utensil on the floor. Even though it's so obviously a mere foot or so away from him. Rather too convenient or not, Madilla doesn't seem to notice anything amiss, though the clatter is enough to turn her attention in that direction. "It's there," she points, using the hand with her plate of pastries to indicate, carefully avoiding actually dropping anything though she has to stop her walk to do so. "Though you'd better get a clean one." When it's position is pointed out to him, Gustav makes a triumphant 'Ah ha!' noise and swipes the spoon up. In a seemingly odd move, he settles down and sits just where he is on the floor, facing her though. "You think? A little bit of dirt never hurt anyone or so I've heard." He smiles disarmingly up at her, wiping the spoon on the front of his clean looking shirt. Madilla can't seem to help herself: something about Gustav's position on the floor, and his triumph, makes her smile. "I'm sure they keep the floors clean enough, but... I still wouldn't eat off them." Beat. "If you do get sick, don't come crying to me, I suppose." She hesitates, watching him, as though torn between excusing herself to go eat, or continuing the conversation. Almost as if that smile was a crack in armor, Gustav pulls his blankie closer around his shoulders. Strangely it doesn't emasculate his appearance so much as make him appear cuddly. And warm, totally warm. He grins a little wider before he makes a big deal out of visually inspecting his spoon. "If I was crying and dying from dirty-spoon poisoning, would you just let me suffer? You seem pretty nice. I don't think you'd leave me out to hang." With the spoon supposedly free of any visible debris he reaches up to /carefully/ take his bowl of hot stew off the table, without dropping it on his head. Still smiling, Madilla puts in a not terribly impressive show of giving this real, serious thought, and finally concludes, gravely, "I suppose it would probably be contrary to my vows as a healer. Luckily for you." She tilts her head to the side as she finishes saying this, and finally asks, brows raised: "Do you make a habit of sitting on the floor to eat your dinner, too? Or... just living on the wild side?" "Vows! My, a woman of her word. Well, if I do become deathly ill from this spoon I'll apologize profusely to you while I vomit. I'll probably feel pretty bad for making you take care of me." Gustav's lips remain curved up even as he spoons some of the still hot liquid into his mouth. Her question first gets a gentle lift of his 'brows and then he makes a big show of tilting his head to check out her foot or the floor or something that's close to the ground. "I often sit at tables to eat my dinner. Though I do like to spice things up occasionally and you /do/ have very nice ankles." As a pink flush spreads across her cheeks, Madilla casts a glance down at her ankles, and then, brows raised again, back towards Gustav. "Or I might just pass you on to one of the other apprentices," she adds, then. "Gabrion, maybe. He seems to like gross things." Beat. Then, cautiously, with no small amount of shyness, "Do I really have nice ankles, or are you just making things up? Either way... I am going to have to move on and eat my own dinner in a minute." "Oh, no. Gabrion? A boy who likes gross things?" Gustav actually makes a face that's sort of close to disgust but it only makes him look comical instead. "I think I'll just throw up alone in the dorms, instead. What's the point of getting sick if cute girls aren't going to take care of you?" That he might make up something like that prompts a smoothing of the semi-yuck expression into one that flips up the smile again. "Make up that you have nice ankles?" He chauffs a little, laughing. "Never. They're the finest set I've seen all night." Perhaps the only set this evening, but he sounds sincere nonetheless. Sighing for dramatic effect, "I suppose I'll allow it. You all leave me eventually." "And make some poor lower caverns worker clean up after you? Oh no, no you don't. You throw up, you come to the infirmary," says Madilla, firmly, probably before she's even registered anything else that her companion is saying. She does seem pleased about the ankles, though, no matter how narrowly defined the sample may well be. "Rather overdramatic, aren't you? Are you always this way?" Which at least prolongs her standing there for a little while longer. Gustav laughs at her response, turning the spoon around in his mouth as he licks it clean. He turns it back to the bowl, scraping away whatever is left there. Her query earns another short laugh and he turns a smile on her, one that lacks any sort of shame and shrugs his shoulders. "I probably am. It's part my inherent charm and /unfortunately/ my greatest failing. You either like me or hate me." With all the food gleaned from the bowl he carefully leans his spoon into it. Despite herself, Madilla is definitely amused, holding back outright laughter only but drawing her lips together very lightly. "You don't seem to find it terribly unfortunate, really," she points out, after a moment, apparently having reigned in her laughter enough to speak. And then: "I'm Madilla. Senior Apprentice Healer, but I think we covered that. And I really am going to need to go eat in a minute." He can't help but continue grinning, can he? He doesn't surpress his amusement, instead allowing his mouth to remain curved up. "It /is/ unfortuante. But I've learned to live with it, embrace my failings, short-comings, whatever. So I'll be overly dramatic and goofy and most people won't take me seriously." He slides further down the floor, comically drawing his blanket up around him. "But I'll be happy, won't I?" There's a mischievous quirk to his smile as he straightens and sits up. "I'm Gustav. Restless soul and seater of people who'd prefer to eat on the floor instead of at tables." At her insistence that she must go, he waves his fingers at her. "Go on, Madilla. Senior Apprentice Healer. Someday you'll see me again. Maybe it'll be tomorrow!" After a moment of hesitation, Madilla admits, shy again, "I don't think it's so awful a shortcoming. I think it's good to laugh." Beat, and then, with a bob of her head, "A pleasure to have met you, Gustav. I'm sure we will meet again... tomorrow, or some other time. Have a pleasant evening." With one final, glowing smile, she turns upon her heel and heads for the door, carefully balancing her food all the way down the stairs. Gustav laughs, ducking his head to give it a quick little shake as if he's not quite so sure himself. But there's verbalized argument and he simply lifts his hand and gives a wave to send her off. "You too, sweetheart!" He calls after her, watching as she disappears down the stairs to the caverns beyond. He stays where he is for a few minutes more, until a cook chases him off her floor and he slips out. |
Leave A Comment