[The Fleeting Comet] One Part of a Whole (Solo/Training)

[Tao]

OOCOkay, we are at a much belated go thanks to a sudden rewriting of the entire thread! (For the best, the early version sucked.) 2nd Winter, 510 The Fleeting Comet A kitchen could be described as a well oiled mechanism. There were many little parts all knitted together to create a smooth harmony. The work was constant and almost rhythmic from the moment one put on an apron to the moment the fires had died down for the evening. Such a rhythm was easily disturbed, even if just one little piece was not doing what it should. Chef Yoren was not a patient man; the hectic beat of the kitchen in The Fleeting Comet did not give him the pleasure. He knew better than to allow frustration or anger to cloud his judgement, lest he become the piece that was failing the rest of the machine, but that did not stop him from finding fault where fault was found, and it displeased him that it had to be in one of his assistants. The young foreign boy had been put under his care only a couple of months ago, and had been a subtle clog in his machine ever since. It was clearly not intentional; Yoren doubted that he had the ability to even consider the thought of causing trouble. But the absence of malice did not absolve him of responsibility, and it had reached a point where action had to be taken. Tao's lack of understanding of Lhavitian often drove an otherwise smooth system to a grinding halt, as someone had to be found to translate even simple commands for him. Yoren himself barely bothered with the boy's language, and did not have time to repeat his orders over and over like some sort of challenged parrot. The most logical step had been to pair him up with another assistant who spoke the language, which had not solved the problem; time was still wasted, and the blasted girl was quick to complain about 'babysitting'. The tense atmosphere was uncomfortable for everyone, and the kitchen and the food were suffering. Throughout it all, the boy just kept his head down and continued to work like he had no clue what was wrong. The thing that possibly annoyed him more was that he likely didn't have a clue what was wrong. If he hadn't been an excellent worker, he would have been shown the door already. As it was, Yoren knew that he had to either do something with the boy or throw him out before things got much worse. It was time to see how much Tao was willing to do make things right. He would only have one chance to get it right; Yoren was not a patient man. --

[Tao]

Oh god. What did I do? Tao shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited for his overseer to return. He had been just about to go home when Chef Yoren had stopped him, a stern look written into the older man's features. His mind was already clicking and whirling with the prospects of what he had possibly done wrong to illcit the wrath of the chef. He had been trying very hard not to make waves, just follow the orders and keep his nose out of trouble. It was simple, messy work for the most part, largely repeditive and uninteresting, but it was his job, and he needed the money. He couldn't say that he disliked the work; there was something comfortable and familiar about working in a kitchen. The similarities ended there, however, as the Fleeting Comet was many times larger and more busy than his father's small restaurant, and he was merely one assistant among the rest of the workers buzzing frantically around the kitchen. The majority of the typical chatter slipped over his head thanks to his limited Lhavitian, leaving him working alone and in silence much of the time. I'm careful; never so much as dropped a plate. I'm do what I'm told and I do it quickly. I don't cause trouble. He pondered, shivering in an attempt to fend off the chilled breeze. So... what could Chef Yoren want with me? He waited a few more minutes, standing just outside the staff entrance to the kitchens. The majority of the evening staff had left already, leaving behind the few unlucky assistants who had to make sure that everything was in order. At last, the final few filed out, along with his team leader, who appeared to be scowling a little, a book of some kind tucked under his arm. Fending off a nervous twist in his stomach, Tao waited for Yoren to face him and bowed deeply, having learned on his first day that to not do so was a massive sign of disrespect. The elder man inclined his head in return, brown eyes focused entirely on the boy in front of him. He could not bring himself to meet his eyes, too worried of what he might see in them. Without a word, Yoren handed him the tome that he had carried under his arm. The book did not appear to be overly old, bound with tanned leather and filled with white pages. On the front was an embossed title: Common to Lhavitian. “No more translations.” Yoren said suddenly, causing Tao to yelp in surprise and nearly drop the book as it was passed into his arms. Even more usually, he spoke in Common, though his accent was thick and the words unwieldly. “This is Lhavit kitchen. We speak Lhavitian.” Clutching the book to his chest, Tao swallowed and nodded to show that he understood, not daring to trust his words to get past the sudden lump in his throat. If Yoren was pleased by this development, he did nothing to show it, nodding his head once and turning away, off to make his way home. Even with the language barrier, he knew that he had been handed an ultimatum.

[Tao]

He had stuffed the heavy book in his bag and made his way home as usual. It was only after he was safely inside his apartment that he allowed himself to release the breath he had been inadvertantly holding and properly panic. Putting his bag down by the door, he went through his nightly routine mechanically as he thought over the problem. I must have been causing trouble. Maybe that other assistant wasn't giving me the right orders. He wondered as he opened up his little stove, adding a bit of firewood and a scrap of paper so it would catch alight easily. Winter had just begun, and it was cooler than he expected. But he didn't just fire me. He gave me a dictionary. Soon, the fire was crackling merrily, filling the apartment with some much needed warmth. He pulled out his futon and blankets and laid them out. Once everything was settled, he turned back to his bag, lying abandoned by the door. Hanging up his coat as the room thawed out, he picked it up and moved to over to his futon. Burying himself under the blankets, he pulled out the book and studied the cover once more. It was a thick tome, weighing heavily in his arms. “Why...” He murmured, running a finger down the spine. “Why not just fire me?” He didn't have the answer to that question, and he knew he probably never would; Yoren was a quiet, serious man who rarely seemed to voice his thoughts. All he knew was that he had been given a chance. A slim chance, given that his next shift was in three days, but a chance none the less. Without another thought to the contrary, he opened the book and began to read. The Lhavitian language has changed little throughout history and the passing of the Valterrian. It’s an agglutinative and mora-timed language with a fluidity that often seems far more formal in speech than Common. Written Lhavitian is composed of gentle strokes and oval circles, sometimes incorporating symbols as well...

[Tao]

3th Winter, 510 He had slept through the morning, so the sun was high and bright in the sky when he finally set out to do a spot of shopping. The book that Yoren had gifted to him was not only a dicitonary, though the lists of translated words was the clear reason for its bulk. It also contained pronounciation guides, sentence structure, and other little literacy rules and facts that he knew he would never be able to pick up on his own. It had only been a single night that he had poured over the tome, and he knew that it was not enough to learn an entire language. What he did know was that if he were to improve enough to impress Chef Yoren, he would need supplies that he did not have. He purchased a vial of ink, a small quil, and a sheath of paper from the first shop that had them, uncaring of the price, and returned home quickly. From there, he set up shop on the low seated table that had come with the apartment, spreading the book open wide on one side and preparing the sheets on the other. Okay. I have to learn Lhavitian. There has to be a way to remember all the words I'll need. He thought, dipping the quill into one of the ink vials. A language... is like a code, right? Like a puzzle. I just have to deciepher it. He spent the rest of the day working with the book, making notes of important words he would need to remember (different foods, the slight difference between 'slicing' and 'dicing', and other words related to the kitchen) and constructing more complicated sentences using the guides available. The once clean pieces of paper quickly filled with black scribbles of ink in both languages. “The potatoes are cooked.” He practiced aloud, working each word slowly until he thought it was right. “The potatoes are not cooked. The potatoes are cooking.” As natural light began to fade and his fingers were thouroughly stained with ink, he decided to take a break, getting up to work the numbness out of his limbs and light a fire for the evening. “... I'm not really any closer than before.” He considered with a heavy sigh. There was only so much he could glean from a book on the language, and it was no doubt not enough. I'm never going to pull this off. It's too much. The negative thought flashed through his mind, followed up quickly by another, considering what he would do when he was inevitably fired. “Damn it.” He cursed under his breath. “There's got to be a way I can fix this. I can't get fired now.” Shopping! : Quill: 5 jade kina Paper (10 sheets): 40 topaz kina Ink (2 ounces): 4 kina Total: 4 kina, 40 tkina, 5 jkina

[Tao]

6th Winter, 510 The evening had just begun, and with it came the evitable flood of customers. The ovens were well stoked and ready, and every assistant and chef was already bustling, getting things ready. Waiting for their first orders to come in. Tao could feel Chef Yoren's eyes on his back, and it was making his hair stand on end. It didn't take long for the lull to break as the waiters started returning, calling out orders off the written notes they had taken. Instinctively, he turned towards Yoren, waiting for his instructions from the stern elder man, plucking at the sleeve of his uniform nervously. The Chef began to speak, the tone of his voice firm and brooking no argument. Tao listened carefully; the Lhavitian words washed past him until his name was spoken. A tiny jolt of panic shot through him; he quickly buried it before it could appear on his face. Yoren's stern gaze met his as he spoke, the words from his mouth slowing slightly as he spoke to him. He dropped his eyes almost immediately, listening carefully to the words. A few of them were familiar from his studies – names of different local vegetables. Other words he thought he recognised but slipped his memory. Despite that, he waited for Yoren to finish the simple sentence. The man then asked him a question; a phrase he had learned by necessity. “Do you understand?” He took a deep breath and nodded mutely. He did understand. He had studied hard for that moment, and he did understand. Or he would in a moment. Yoren nodded in what he thought was a approval and turned to the next assistant, continuing on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. It was then that Tao took a chance to back away from the group a step and pull back the sleeve of uniform. The skin of his arm was marked with ink; words in Lhavitian and their Common counterparts. Let's see... He wants me to... he said 'cut'. He wants me to cut up those vegetables over there for the soup. He quickly let the sleeve drop back into it's position, glancing around to make sure no one had noticed. While it wasn't like he was really cheating, he didn't think Chef Yoren would be entirely impressed if he knew he had.... help. He made his way to the station he had been pointed to; the assistant girl who normally translated for him was there too, boiling some water. He couldn't help but ask her in Common: “Chef Yoren wanted me to prepare these vegetables for soup, right?” The girl gave him an annoyed look, but answered anyway. “Yes. You understood.” Tao took a deep breath in relief as he selected a knife and got to work. It seemed that he had muddled his way through the first test somehow, though he was sure there would be more to come. None the less, he would keep studying and trying, and he would improve. Eventually, he wouldn't need to write the words out on his arm. Until then, he was going to be swimming in deep water. But at least my head's above water, for now.

[Ophelia]

‎‎

Thread Award. ‎‎<3 ‎ ‎EXPERIENCE.‎ ‎‎+1 Writing ‎LORES.‎ Harmony of a kitchen Being held back Ultimatums Philology of Lhavitian A language is like a code Cheating with memorising words Lhavitian (Competent)‎ ‎ADDITIONAL NOTES.‎ Add Common to Lhavitian Dictionary to your possessions. Subtract ‎4kina, 40tkina and 5jkina from your ledger‎. Good job, Tao. Cute, and I look forward to the time where he doesn't have to cheat when it comes to speaking Lhavitian. Sorry I couldn't really give you more in terms of xp. ‎Don't hesitate to pm me with questions, queries, or anything else!‎ Love,‎ Ophelia <3

‎