[The Sanctuary] Breakfast Greetings

[Kavala]

Timestamp: The 18th of Winter, 513 AV

Kavala had the babies near at hand as she made breakfast. Ralac and Inadan was bouncing in his chair and Ia'del was in a sling around Kavala's shoulder. The tiny infant Konti was tucked up against her chest, quietly breathing. Kavala knew this because she was still counting every breath her daughter made, hoping they would keep coming as her little lungs more fully formed. They'd finally stopped sleeping underwater, and for that Kavala was grateful. It meant that Ia'del was getting stronger. She smiled now sometimes, even opened her eyes, and definitely had started to kick. The tiny premature baby had yet to start crying, but Kavala knew it was because her lungs were incomplete. Once she did cry, that would be true music to Kavala's ears.

A three year old Akontak boy, perky and wide awake, sat on the counter off to the side. "I want Puff Babies and fruit for breakfast... the kind you put sugar and cinnamon on." He demanded and Kavala laughed. She'd already got out the ingredients for the recipe. Puff babies were a type of pancake, but rather than fried on a griddle, they were made in the oven.

Careful of Ia'del, Kavala slowly loaded more wood into the hearth and lit it up, hoping to get the hearth warm enough to begin to bake the baked treats. She pulled out cast iron frying pans and put them on the baking shelf of the hearth, wanting them to get as hot as the oven itself already was. The recipe was a simple one:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla bean seeds
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Kavala quickly blended the eggs, milk, flour, salt, vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar together until it was foamy. Then she pulled out the two cast iron frying pans, buttered them , and dumped half the batter in one and half the batter in another. Placing them back in the oven for twenty minutes gave her enough time to mix up another batch of batter. Each batch made two and she wasn't sure whom all would be there.

So by the time folks started trickling into the Commons in the Within - a place she'd told Kassem the night before how to get too - there was enough of the fluffy oven baked pancakes to go around.

She sat out cinnamon, sugar, and butter. Then she began slicing and peeling fruit and sat out a pitcher of cold well water and put on tea in case anyone wanted hot or cold drinks with their food.

[Vanator]

Vanator awoke hungry, as he usually did. He gingerly disentangled himself from the sleeping Sybel, slipped from the bed, and tugged on a pair of pants. Pulling on a shirt and stuffing his feet in his boots, the Drykas left quietly from the room.

He heard the sounds of activity in the kitchen as he rounded the corner into the large common room. He could see Kavala and her children already making ready for breakfast. Van strolled past the sitting area and dining table to the hearth. He paused, examining the fire Kavala had stoked. That meant baked goods! Tasival spotted his uncle and called out. "Unkal," the toddlers still confused by the names he had been taught for Vanator, uncle and Ankal, "Momma is making me Puff Babies!" He exclaimed with joy and a firm clap that made his baby brother jump in his bouncing chair.

"Well, we better get this fire hot so she can bake them!" Van replied with excitement that was not entirely forced. He was pretty fond of Kavaka's Puff Babies as well. The Drykas looked into the small fire, gazing into the flames until his eyes grew glassy. Then he held out a hand and summoned his djed. A mist of res rose in his hand, clinging to it like fog to a pond. Van turned his hand to face the flames licking at the kindling and willed the flame to rise. The fire brightened a bit as the tongues lashed at the kindling and up to the larger pieces of wood. Vanator concentrated, pulling the fire outward to the edges of the wood, until the tinder and kindling were now engulfed in flames, licking at the split chunks of wood. He lowered his hand and turned to grin at the boy sitting on the counter.

"There, that should be ready to bake in no time."

Van then walked over to his nephew, who stood on the counter and jumped at his uncle, clinging to his neck and starting to scramble up his torso. Vanator gave Tasi a squeeze and set him back down on the counter. He next stopped by Ralac, brushing a hand across the infants deep hued head. "Good morning Kav." Van offered his sisterr. He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning Kavaka a bit away from her task, long enough to look at the tiny Konti baby nestled against her. Vanator's smile broadened, his eyes softening. "Good morning, little one," he whispered as he leaned down and tenderly pressed a kiss to her forehead. He then looked up at Kav, the loving and sympathetic gaze said what words did not. He in turn kissed Kavala on the cheek.

Vanator headed for the privy, then returned to help Kavala. His aid was sporadic, for Tasival demanded attention, until his uncle gave him what he wanted. Van grabbed the boy by the ankles and whipped him upside down, dangling the boy by his feet in front of him. Tasi giggled, his face becoming even deeper in color, until Van finally spun him upright and set him down again. "Again! Again!" The toddler insisted.

[Lysaea Frostfawn]

Lysa wandered silently around the Sanctuary, placing her feet quietly against the floor. She was still trying to get used to it and since she had found over the past days, that exploring a place was usually her preferred way of getting used to it, she had decided to carry that out here. Walking past the Commons in the Within, she smelt the smell of something that smelt tantalisingly good. Stopping at the entrance, she slipped her way in before a few people who had been making their way there. Looking around the room, she found she barely recognised anyone currently in there. Trying to keep to herself without anyone noticing her, she went to the table quietly before helping herself to some of the pancakes and eating, hoping that she wouldn't draw any attention to herself.

[Kassem]

.

Kassem's feet tapped quietly through the workings of the Within. He had been moving slowly due to the awe he was overcome by the nature of the place. He'd never been underground before in such tunnels, and it did make him a bit uncomfortable, but his curiosity was far greater. He made his was down the path Kavala had explained to him the night before. He could tell that it would be a wonderful breakfast today when his nose caught a whiff of what was in the oven.

He made his way to the kitchen and commons. He expected Kavala to be there, he had heard a child and a man's voice. He peeked his head through the frame of the room before the rest of his body followed. His mouth dropped, this was the first time he had laid eyes on any violet and blue skinned person. The culture shock left him speechless for a short while, though he concluded that it would be rude to stand gawking at his hosts. When he gathered himself, he addressed Kavala, and a short look at the baby strapped to her every now and then. Hello, Kavala. Kassem said sheepishly, he tipped his head at Vanathor Morning, sir Kassem was never one to be socialable around adults, but children were different stories. He had a much easier time connect with children that others. It was evident by the way his face lit up when he turned to Tasival and the comfortable tone of voice and settling posture when Kassem introduced himself. Hi! I'm Kassem. He glanced back at Vanathor, inviting him into his introduction. Kavala brought me here from... He cast an uneasy look towards Kavala wondering if what she had said the day before, about being careful who he let on, would apply to these people as well.

.

[Caelum]

Two more people ducked quietly into the Commons, each familiar to the Sanctuary but neither typical to the breakfast portion of the morning routine. In the lead was the tall, sun coated ethaefal entering on loose hipped strides and shrugging out of a heavy, leather jacket to toss it up to hang on one of the hooks bolted into the wall. His long sleeved tunic was half untucked from riding leathers and he smelled of clean hay and the morning chill. Golden brown hair was scraped out of his eyes and he squinted at those gathered, unsmiling. Elise stepped up to his side, her arm brushing his, delicate nose wrinkling up as she sniffed curiously at the air and the delicious smells of Puff Babies cooking. Elise was a human woman of about nineteen years of age. Her hair was so dark a brown as to almost be black and was currently braided back into an intricate weave that closely mimicked the knotted braids that Caelum wore when in his night form of Drykas. Bruised blue eyes were suspicious, but they were always suspicious; and this morning there was some color to pale cheeks and the line of her mouth was relaxed. Even almost happy. Almost. She too was dressed in worn, comfortable clothes, trousers tucked into boots and she had an oversized green sweater whose hem she kept tugging on in display of constant nerves. "Why don't you go ask Kavala for a plate," Caelum murmured quietly to his patient, his ward, his slave? There was a very curious line, and their relationship equally as curious. Elise shot him a sideways look, questioning, and he gave a silent shake of his head to her unspoken question. Satisfied, the young woman made her tentative way towards the others and the familiar figure of Kavala among them. Meanwhile, Caelum sort of nodded to everyone as a whole and made his way straight to the hearth and the hot water, tugging premade tea packets of his pocket. Of course, he was not hungry. The sun was up and that was all he needed for sustenance. Elise, however, wanted breakfast.

[Matthew]

Caelum

I didn't see much to award here. PM me if you feel I missed something.

Kavala

Skills

+1 Childcare
+1 Cooking

Lores

Childcare: Instinctively Monitoring for Appropriate Breathing
Recipe: Puff Babies

Notes :

Kavala, childcare may not be the correct thing to award here, so feel free to PM me and correct me. Thing is, you put good detail into caring for a child, and I do believe childcare is a skill that can be honed and trained. But it didn't appear as if you already had points in it, which I am almost sure you should? I may be mistaken.