Closed [Sanctuary] Kiss the cook {Kavala, Eselle}

[Adrien Dair]

36th, Fall. 514 AV

Syna would now be at her highest point in the sky as a rustling came from the kitchen. Two Kelvics were trying to prepare lunch for everyone at the Sanctuary. For Cadra this was nothing. She was in the kitchen all the time it seemed to Adrien but he himself was trying to learn how to cook. It was completely new to him. The kitchen, all of the utensils, everything. The rhino was out of his comfort zone and it showed. "What are you so worried about? Its easy I promise." Cadra said with a smile on her face. Adrien returned the smile, looking down at the knife that was in his hands. "Just cut up the potato's and celery like I showed you" she said. Patting his back before going on to mess with other things. Adrien continued to look at the greens in front of him.

Truth be told he would be happy just eating these raw but others like them mixed in. He looked over his shoulder at Cadra who seemed to have no problem around the kitchen. Adrien looked back down at the celery. Pulling a couple of pieces over to him and putting them on the cutting board. He went to work, raising and lowering the knife through the celery. A crunch and a thud ever time the knife cut through some pieces. He continued to slice them until they were in tiny pieces. He then grabbed one of the carrots. They had sliced and peeled the potatoes a little earlier, Cadra had told him that the hard part was over. But some how the rhino was not so sure.

He sighed and put the carrots on the cutting board. Slicing through it with the knife. Cadra had already moved on and was preparing the soup. Mixing in the bacon and potatoes that she had cut up. All that was left for him to do was the celery, carrots and onions. He continued to cut, one carrot after the other. Cutting them into small pieces. He turned and handed them to Cadra. "Dump them into the soup" she said with a smile. He nodded and pushed them off of the board into the soup. She continued to stir and let it cook.

He moved back to the counter he was working on. He picked up one of the onions and sniffed it. Pulling back quickly with a sour look on his face. "Oh jeez" he said. Cadra turned and looked at him. "What? Oh! Onions stink don't they" she said with a chuckle. "You could say that" he said wiping the tears from his eye. Hes hands went about cracking and peeling off the onions outer layer. Doing his best to avoid the tears running down his face. As the smell flowed into his nose. He sat it down and sliced into it. He paused knife half way through the onion. Tears welling up in his eyes had begun to stream down his cheeks. He blinked a few times trying to clear them. Before raising his arm up to wipe them away.

He continued to cut and dice the onion as the tears streamed down. If anyone other the Cadra had seen him now they might think something was terribly wrong. But the smell of the onion was burning his nostrils. Once he had finished he quickly moved to slid them into the pot. "Oh Syna. I hate onions now. Ugh that smell" hes said wiping the tears out of his eyes.

[Eselle]

Eselle gingerly toed through the chicken house. So far the hens had fled before her feet ever got near, but that didn’t stop the Konti from trying to avoid harming them. Most of the chickens hit their mark, the little nests, but a few had rebel tendencies. The first day she had come to collect eggs, one such recalcitrant hen had lain one just beyond the threshold. Before realizing it, the mess had splattered all over the floor beneath Eselle’s boot. Now she was more careful to avoid the animals hiding spots.

With one arm wrapped around a basket and the other gathering up the little brownish and orange eggs, Eselle made quick work of the easy chore. Of all of the bird related things she had learned since beginning to work at the Sanctuary, the chicken egg collecting was the easiest. Although not the lightest chore.

When she finally made it through the kitchen’s door, it took both of her arms to hold the egg basket level. Even still when she settled the burden on the counter her arms were shaking. It had only been a handful of days, since she began working here. A far more strenuous job than fortune telling had ever been, but she had also slept better. The physical work helped her sleep, even if waking up meant aches in places she’d never felt before.

Having brought in the eggs, Eselle had intended to get a cup of tea before heading to the mews. Instead, she found a young man crying with a knife. Wide blue eyes swept to Cadra. The kelvic cook didn’t appear distressed. Reassessing the pale woman realized, it was a matter of misunderstanding as the onions went into the pot.

“Good Morning Cadra.” The Konti added, trying to get a good look at the other fellow. The Sanctuary was large and complex, there hadn’t been time yet to meet everyone. “May I help?” She asked in that thick accent of her homeland.

Her black pants showed the wear from hard work, and next time she had a chance the Konti would buy better working clothes in Riverfall. There was always a time to do things later, for now the kitchen was already beginning to smell good. Her stomach had been just fine until the mixing smells hit. Then all thoughts led to lunch.

Cadra turned with an infectious smile, “Yes! Can you get the pan and bacon?” The kelvic woman took up the basket of eggs to put them away.

Getting the bacon in order was easy, it was finding the pan that took more time. What pan was big enough? Was there a difference, and why did it matter? The Konti seldom cooked, and what she did cook came out blackened and bubbling. A pan clattered to the floor, while she rummaged. Grasping it, the Konti dusted the bottom. It would like this very one might do the job.

Striding towards the blonde man, pan in hand, Eselle nodded and smiled. “We have not met yet. I am Eselle, I just started to work here. Do you think this pan will be ok?”

[Kavala]

Kavala had been avoiding Adrien like the plague. Even she had to admit it to herself that she was doing it. She’d thrown him together with everyone in The Sanctuary possible, including the elusive Mewsmistress and one of Aweston’s nieces that had shown up after the djed storm and stayed on to groom. But there was no avoiding him today. Cadra had made it plain as day that they were going to get together as a family and cook. She had been so bubbly about it, so sincere, that the Konti healer had said without a doubt she’d be there and be available to take lessons and pick up some tidbits.

The morning wasn’t early, so they weren’t going to fix breakfast by any means. Instead, they were doing a kettle meal of some sort for lunch, dinner, and a few meals past that. Cadra had asked Kavala to bring a fresh pail of cream so the Konti had set out to the barn to see if any of the cows had milk, and had patiently collected what was left after the very early morning milking.

Once she’d done that, the milk had came into the commons and been taken down to the kitchen where she greeted everyone warmly. Then, before Cadra could put her to work on anything else, she had began the task of separating the milk from the cream and whey so they could have all the components for whatever Cadra had planned for the meal.

“What are we cooking anyhow?” Kavala asked as she watched Cadra direct Adrien to peel some potatoes and set some of the others to work. The Konti’s eyes lingered on the rhino’s and sighed as she caught him looking right back. She offered him a friendly smile, laughed as Larik walked in, did an about face and was gone before Cadra could put the Kelvic eagle to work. She gestured with her chin, since her hands were busy pouring the milk into the separator and commented dryly. “I bet you wished you were as fast as he is, Adrien.” The Konti said with a laugh as Cadra looked up, glanced at the doorway, and raised an eyebrow.

“Was that Larik?” The red-headed teen said and took off after her twin. Kavala couldn’t help laughing out loud, knowing that either the Eagle was already in the sky or Cadra would bring him back by his ear and put him to work along side Adrien.

When the milk was all in the separator, Kavala set up the receiving vessels and began cranking the mechanism to begin the process. While she did so, she waited for someone to answer her question. When no one did, she laughed again, and shook her head. “She’s putting us to work on a mystery meal and you didn’t even ask if its going to be worth it at the end?” She said, chuckling. The milk separator didn’t take long and before Kavala knew it she had milk, cream, and a few other components to use if Cadra needed them. And so while she waited for her fiery niece to return, she broke down the separator, took advantage of the unoccupied sink, and began to fill it with water from the wellhead beside it. Then she cleaned the components and carefully dried them so she could reassemble the device and it would be ready for use next time they needed it.

She made small talk with Adrien and wondered who else was going to show up as she did so, cringing when Cadra came in alone.

“He took to the sky quick enough. Well, if he doesn’t come help, I’ve a mind not to share our huge pot of Potato Soup with him.” The girl exclaimed, laughing, her hands on her hips. Cadra was usually in a good mood, even at the worst of times. And that didn’t always mean she was good company. Sometimes Kavala enjoyed a dark mood, someone grumpy and broody, and that was when the girls Kelvic twin often latched onto the Konti for company. The two were polar opposites. Each had their strengths and weaknesses.
Kavala liked them both for different reason and at different times. And since her mood was a good one, she didn’t mind spending the day with Cadra and the rest of the staff, doing some bonding and getting to know each other.

She glanced over at Adrien again. Kavala just hoped Adrien would take the time to reach out and get to know others as well. His eyes were always on her. He wasn’t ever very far. And even now she was aware of his presence unlike she was aware of the others in the room. When her eyes fully rested on him again, she found him looking back. There was an amused patience in his gaze and something else more primitive she wouldn’t admit to herself was there. His gaze looked hungry, determined, but she refused to see it. Instead, she looked around, hopeful that someone else would be joining them… someone she could introduce the Kelvic Rhino too.

“Aunt? Do you mind making some bread? I have a very simple recipe from the cook book I think you can follow. I’ve seen you do it before. Only this time I’d like you to change it up, alright? I’d like some fresh herbs in the bread – basil and rosemary – so we can pair it nicely with the soup we are making.” Cadra said, speaking clearly to Kavala.

The Konti nodded, and when she had her hands all dried off and the separator all put back together, she walked over to Cadra and took the parchment with the recipe on it from Cadra and read it over.

“I think I can follow it. We’ve got all the ingredients at least.” She said, glancing at Adrien and wrinkling her nose now that he was chopping onions. It was amusing to see a grown rhino slightly teary-eyed and starting to whine. She laughed then, amused, and waved her recipe card at him. “It’s good to be the boss. No onions for me. Only elbow deep in dough!” She said, laughing heartily and breezing by him to stake out a place on the counter and assemble some ingredients.

It was about then that more company joined them. Kavala greeted Eselle with a bright smile, glad to see the eggs, and noting that she too must be favored by Cadra since she got an easy job frying up some bacon.

"Adrien, what in the world did you do to Cadra to get onion duty? I got bread and she got bacon. I'm starting to think you made her mad...." Kavala teased, laughing slightly as the new Konti and the kelvic introduced themselves. Kavala kept her fingers crossed. Eselle was beautiful, smart, and loved animals. If all went well, Adrien would take to her like a duckling took to water. And all would be well. Eselle deserved some stoic highly intelligent companionship.

[Adrien Dair]

He had watched her come into the room. Felt her presence like one felt Syna's rays upon them when they were out in the unsheltered world. His eyes did not leave her as he worked on the potatoes absentmindedly. It was only when she spoke did he regain himself looking down at the potato that was carved to a point. "Ah... No I offered to help earlier. If I didn't want her to catch me she wouldn't have." he said with a half-hearted smile. His gaze turned to Cadra as she wondered who had came. "Came and gone" he said picking up another potato and peeling it. Finishing the task he moved on.

Watching Kavala as he went about cutting and dicing up the assortment of vegetables that Cadra had set out earlier. He constantly looked up at Kavala the sense of wanting, a yearning deep inside of him to bond with the Konti and she continued to avoid him. To push him away and onto others. Onto anyone that was not her, he didn't understand it. He wondered if he was not good enough. If there was something about him that was pushing her away. He sighed and tore his eyes away from her.

He chuckled when Cadra had returned without Larik. "Give him bread and tell him he has to help next time" Adrien said. His mood was clouded a mix of happiness and sorrow. He began to feel like he should just leave. Walk out of the kitchen disrobe and run into the Sea of Grass. Charge around until the thoughts in his head were gone. He kept telling himself that they were just thoughts. His mind wandering when he didn't occupy himself with a task or something. Trying to convince himself that Kavala wasn't pushing him away that it was all in his head.

He looked up at the other Konti that had joined them. She introduced herself and then asked if the pan would be fine. He wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded. "I am Adrien and yeah it should be fine... I think. It's nice to meet you" hes said. Turning his eyes back down to his task as he cut into the onions some of his actual tears mixing with the fake. He slammed the knife down through one of the onions and wiped his face again. "Stupid onions" he grumbled. He looked up at Cadra as she teased him. "Yeah. You are the boss for now. Come help me work on the fence or do repairs on the stables. Then we'll see who the boss is" returning her tease with one of his own.

He listened to Kavala's tease and looked up at her. "I didn't make her mad. I volunteered to do anything she needed me to." he said quickly. His eyes remained on her as he finished the rest of the onions. Wiping away the tears with his shirt. "What next Boss" he said to Cadra. "Mix them into the soup!" she said excitedly. Adrien had gathered all of the ingredients he had prepared earlier and dropped them into the pot. Stirring as his mind wandered, glancing over at Kavala before turning his eyes back to the soup. His chest felt like it was going to burst. He had things he wanted to say but no words to go with them. He took in a deep breath and sighed. Looking over at the others. Everyone was working on their own tasks and creating small talk between themselves.

[Eselle]

Eselle laughed to herself, “Nice to meet you too Adrien.” Settling the the pan in the hooks over the fireplace, she waited for it to heat before slapping the bacon into it. “I think Kavala is right though, dough and bacon even smell better than onions.” The Konti sent a smile and nod at her Islander sister. Eselle could never recall having met Kavala before Riverfall, which on its own was strange, but there could be no doubt the other woman was a Konti. The two women bore similar frames, if it weren’t for their differing shades of hair and clothing choices from behind they might be mistaken for one another.

The Seer, briefly considered cheating and looking into Cadra’s memories to get the job done better. Not only did that feel like an invasion of the pleasant cook’s privacy but it took the struggle out of learning. That struggle was a feeling Eselle was coming to enjoy, in its own strange way. The difficulty of the task gave her more respect for what she had accomplished by her own ingenuity.

Dodging through the kitchen, she retrieved a wooden spoon. Scurrying back to the pan, it was already beginning to pop as the fat heated. Flipping over the sections and ends far too early, the Konti stared at the undarkened meat. The bacon would a long process to cook, if it was continuously being flipped over.

Trying to be patient, Eselle looked out over the kitchen from the cooking nook. There were new faces like Adrien and then familiar ones like Kavala and Cadra. While the chickens got scraps and seeds, the raptors had much less docile appetites. She had seen them eat all manner of rodents or unidentified strips of meat. Mostly unidentified because by the time Eselle saw them, they were just clumps of remains. In any accord, Chalce had sent her new worker to the kitchens for a package one day and that is when she had met the vivacious kelvic.

The Inartan woman who captained the Mews had shown her how to clean the rooms as her first task. So far the Konti had refrained from getting any closer to the predatory birds, but soon she would try with one of the smaller owls perhaps. There was a cream colored barn owl that she had watched for an entire bell yesterday. Perhaps that was the best place to begin.

Hot greese splattered and popped while the Konti day-dreamed. It wasn’t until a tiny bubble splashed onto her arm that Eselle flinched away. With an muffled gasp, she quickly turned and flipped the pieces over. Darkened on one side and hardly off-pink on the other. “Cadra, is this dark enough?” Eselle asked over the din, pointing at the bacon.

The Cook peered down and shook her head with a smile. “Almost! Just put the grease in that jar when its done.”

Eselle nodded, she might not know how to cook but she could take instructions. Readying the jar and plate for the first bits of bacon to be done, she only then realized what it meant that Adrien worked around the stableyard. “Do you know how to work with wood Adrien? One of the hawks could use a new perch, he has chewed on it to. I don’t know if its safe.” She paused and started it scooping bits of bacon onto the plate. “Is that the kind of thing you do?” Eselle’s voice was toned to carry but her eyes were only for her assigned task.

Carrying the all-but-empty and heavy pan over to the jar she tipped it in to finish that bit of bacon. stood over Judging from the smell wafting throughout the kitchen she might very well need to protect to finished meat. Putting the next pieces into the pan she stood friendly sentinel over the bacon.

Rather than day-dreaming this time, she watched Kavala work on the bread. “Do you get together to make things like this often here?” It was work but this work included entirely more community than Eselle had dared to hope for since leaving Mura.

[Kavala]

The recipe looked easy enough. And as Eselle and Adrien bantered lightly with Cadra, Kavala studied it. She read the ingredients carefully, and then began to assemble them next to a bowl on the counter space she’d claimed.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons bread yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup lard
6 cups bread flour
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 be;;.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Kavala looked around, offered Eselle a smile, and went back to gathering up the contents of the recipe, pulling out measuring spoons and dragging canisters out onto the counter. “We do, yes… because it helps Cadra out and it gives us a chance to get to know each other better. Do you mind that we do? We’d like to see you join more of the gatherings. Sometimes even the Mewmistress or one of the other helpers, even Alyra joins. She watches the children a great deal.” Kavala said simply then pulled the bowl out and began measuring the dry ingredients into it. She added the sugar and flour, salt and then cut the lard into it until the dough was a bit crumbly with balls of chilled lard.

She glanced at Cadra, who nodded that she was doing well, then fetched a smaller bowl and measured out two cups of the warm water they kept for their tea into it. She shook the yeast into the bowl and stirred carefully. When it started foaming or proofing as the recipe called it, she gently began to stir in the wet with the dry, turning the powdery crumbly dough into something that more resembled bread.

Kavala sniffed at it, grinned, and grabbed the honey pot off the counter and added a drizzle of honey to it as well. Then, she began mixing the ingredients together even further.

Once the dough was ready, she lightly floured the counter, turned it out of the bowl and onto the marble surface, and then began to knead it. She worked it until it was smooth and elastic, and until Cadra nodded. Then she oiled the bowl, placed the ball of dough in it, and rolled it once so it was well coated. Leaving a kitchen towel to cover it, she set it near the hearth where it was warm to rise. She had a bell, according to the recipe, to do something else before she could turn out the loaves and bake them.

“What do you want me to do while I wait?” She asked, first looking over at Eselle and then at Adrien. Eselle seemed to have mastered frying the bacon and was doing fairly well, even if she looked a little impatient. Adrien looked completely out of his league, but his eager face made her smile because she could tell he wanted to learn.

Cadra, on the other hand, was laughing, looking at the pile of vegetables that Adrien had chopped. “We need to cook these down until they are soft. Can you throw some lard in a fry pan and join Eselle at the stove and cook the onions and celery down?” Cadra asked, and Kavala nodded.

The Konti went to fetch a fry pan, filled it with a bit of lard, and then returned to where Adrien was and began scooping his nicely chopped vegetables into the frying pan. When she was done, she offered him an encouraging smile, and then set the pan on the stove and took a wooden spoon and began moving them around as the pan heated and began to cook the vegetables.

They needed a topic. And Kavala knew just what to suggest.

“Anyone ever wonder if the ancients cooked the same way we do? Or do you think they used completely different methods?” The Konti asked, curious as to what the others would think.

[Adrien Dair]

Adrien looked up at the Konti who spoke to him. "I could come look at it. I am sure I could throw together a perch for him. Might need to run to get supplies but it shouldn't take me more then a few bells or so" he said a smile on his face. His eyes on Eselle for a short time before her looked down at the bacon. "I promise I do that a lot better then I do this. My hand's seem to be made to craft and mold not cook" he joked. Laughing a bit at his own joke before turning back to his cutting.

The Kelvic stood there awkwardly, looking down at his work as the others talked. When Kavala walked over to him and offered him the smile. He returned it and helped her scoop vegetables into the pan. Before turning to Cadra. "What's next boss?" he asked standing there while everyone was working didn't suit him. It left an odd taste in his mouth. He knew that if he stayed idle for long that his mind would wander back to Kavala. Cadra turned to him and pondered for a moment. "We could use some butter for the bread" she said. Pointing over to the odd looking device that was in the corner. She walked over with him and lifted the top off. Pouring enough cream in for him to make a decent amount of butter. "So I just lift and lower this thing?" he asked grabbing onto the wooden barrel that was sticking out of the barrel. Cadra nodded and went back to what she was doing.

He spun the handle the cream being tossed and turned inside as it formed into butter. His eyes wandered around the kitchen, from Cadra to Eselle to Kavala. They were enjoying themselves, more then he was at the current moment. He sighed and stared at Kavala. The yearning and want churning inside of his while he churned the butter.

Kavala's question perked his ears. "The Ancients? Who says they did not have more efficient methods of cooking that were destroyed during the Valterrian. All of the knowledge that was lost in the fires and destruction. Who knows what they had" he answered. If there was one thing that perked the rhinos interest it was knowledge and knowing things he did not yet know. He shrugged and turned back to the churning. His mind wandering to his previous thoughts. Him running off into the sea of grass in his rhino form. The mindless churning the butter as he thought.

[Eselle]


Eselle’s vigil had gone untested; no fingers dared the bacon. Nodding at Adrien, she smiled. “Thank you, if you want I can bring Simon to help carry supplies back.” The Konti turned back to cooking rather than guarding.

Realization was a funny thing, of course Kavala couldn’t know the prospect excited her. The smile philtered through her voice, “I am not bothered at all. I have gone far from Mura and never found a place so warm. I am happy to help whenever I can.” Watching the meat pop and fry, a much darker sentiment dawned on the Konti; memories of Ravok. To call this place warm in comparison with the cities she had visited on the way, was an understatement. Ravok had a warmth that lied. A smile could as easily be an insult as genuine. The Seer could understand the greys in the minds of the Ravokians, but she couldn’t handle the lies. As a fortune teller, there had been any number of unpleasant truths to tell people. She had called Caelum a liar and a traitor, she had told Victor his fortunes lay before him. Giving Hirem the possible truths had been unpleasant but at least he had come to understand that her truth meant more than a half-spoken fortune would have.

Thinking of Hirem and looking at her new friends, brought back the memory of a vision. “Ah, that makes much sense.” Eyes lifted in amusement. “I never told you, I have Seen you before Kavala, in the past of a young man named Hirem. He had two paths to take. I didn’t know you then, your face meant nothing to me, but I could see the way he saw you. Someone who gives a man that kind of faith…” Eselle’s words failed her, the Common tongue was still foreign on hers. For most things she could speak just fine. She had given so many fortunes over the years that those esoteric words came easily. The issue was that there were words in Kontinese that failed to exist at all in Common, and the opposite as well. That lack of words more often than anything twisted her language skills into an untenably knot. “You gave him Strength, to choose his road and not let it choose him.”

Flipping out the last of the bacon on to the plate, and dutifully pouring out the drippings. Eselle looked to Cadra for the next task. The precocious Kelvic motioned to two buckets, “We’ll need more water Eselle.”

Nodding she grasped both pails. Cadra could be the new bacon guard. “I don’t know about having other ways to cook, I think they must have. How could they build those great cities on empty stomachs? I bet they had easier ways to get water for cleaning dishes too.” If Eselle had been any younger it might have sounded like a pout, instead it was a feigned wistfulness. It was as dangerously close as the Konti ever came to an actual joke.

[Kavala]

Kavala swirled the veggies around in the cast iron skillet, stooping to add more fuel to the stove to keep the wood fire action going. She offered a smile at Adrien’s interplay with Cadra and the young Kelvic getting a big boost in her ego from getting to direct the older one. The housecat Kelvic was as mild mannered as they came, quick to laugh and forgiving easily of anything. She was as different from her brother as day was to night. And it amused Kavala to no end that Cadra put Adrien on butter churning duty. None of them liked it and she often had to argue with them to get them to follow through. But instead, Adrien was listening, seemingly having fun, and learning something.

The Konti healer was grateful for that. And she was grateful too that Eselle was here with them now. It was all kinds of useful to have a seer among them. She hadn’t touched the tip of the iceburg on Eselle’s abilities yet, but the other Konti could help the Sanctuary folks out in a thousand different ways especially when it came to patience, their histories, and how they had gotten wounded. Kavala had access to that in-depth knowledge herself, but it took preparation, sleep, and then the Dreaming. Eselle’s ability just came from looking. She just had to want to see and suddenly she could.

In a way it was frightening to Kavala as well because the healer was never sure how much Eselle saw and what she did with the information afterwards. Were secrets safe around here? To Kavala it seemed like Eselle transformed fog to clear sky with just a look and in doing so unwound careful obfuscation that had been placed in the way of the truth and fiction.

Someday they might be close enough for Kavala to ask. Until then, she kept the relationship light, tried not to give Eselle an excuse to look at anything stretching out behind her, and obviously lightened the mood when she could. It wasn’t that Kavala had things to hide. Well, truth be told she did, but it was more that some of the secrets she had were not her own.

It actually came as a surprise to the active Konti as she stirred her vegetables, waiting for the onions and celery and carrots to cook down, that Eselle spoke so boldly, and of a name she hadn’t heard in a while. She used the term ‘Seen’ putting heavy emphasis on it, cluing Kavala into the fact that she had used her vision on the Konti Healer or at least in regards to her.

Hirem. Her mind drifted back to him as she listened to Eselle’s words, and wondered where he was. She still had a key to his Chavi and could find him, but sometimes she was afraid to look. “He was a bright man, quick to pick things up, and very keen in his own faith. It’s my sincere wish he took the best path for him. And in fact I hope to see him again. He made something of a promise to me, to return here, to help with something we’ve long needed help with. But you are wrong about me giving him strength, Eselle. You can’t give that to people. They either have it or they don’t. He was already strong. He just needed to be reminded he was.” Kavala said, speaking of the Cytali and thinking that indeed Hirem would have made a fine member. She missed the strange devoted Benshira even though she knew him such a short time.

There were so many secrets sometimes. Sometimes they choked at her and made her want to reach out and release them like a pigeon fancier opening a dovecot and freeing his charges to forage after a long winter storm. But that wasn’t so easy nor something that could happen safely, not now… not with so many strangers about.

Kavala’s eyes glanced to Adrien. He answered her question in his own way, slightly inspired, as if she’d just given his mind something to focus on. She didn’t blame him. Churning butter was a thankless task. Even watching him made her arms hurt. He looked beautiful at his task, diligently churning the cream into something more solid. She glanced at Eselle again and thought that the Konti was beautiful as well. The two would make a fine pair, the healer decided, if they chose to try and get to know each other. Though the Seer was quiet around the Healer, she had an inner light that was as bright as Adrien’s smile.

The Konti glanced at the Rhino, caught him looking at her, and frowned slightly. She returned her gaze to the oiled cast iron pan and kept stirring the vegetables, wondering why they look so long to cook. Eselle spoke up then, moving to do Cadra’s bidding as she did so. “At least we don’t have to go find a stream. It was nice to run water here with just a pump head.” Kavala said, glad the sink had its own water source off to the side. Sure, it was always ice cold, but it beat packing water up or down the ramp.

“But still, I wonder how they did ii?. I wonder too what they ate. Bread? Soup? Were they like us or did they have finer tastes?” Kavala said, daydreaming slightly and planning a Dreamwalk to find a cook and recreate the recipe if she could to taste what ancient cooking was like compared to modern cooking. She glanced around the room, chuckling slightly.

“What’s the fanciest thing anyone here has ever cooked? I roasted my older sister’s fancy dancing shoes once. It wasn’t a pleasant family scene.” She said with a laugh, remembering Akela’s look when Kavala had tried to dry off her sister’s fancy beaded leather slippers by setting them by the fire. “I borrowed them without asking and danced until it had rained, then been caught out without the sense to take them off and protect them and return home barefooted. So I sat them by the fire. They began to steam and I thought it was brilliant… that I wasn’t going to get caught. Then they started to smolder and curl, turning black and catching fire.” The Konti said, her face flushing slightly at the memory. “Akela was so mad. She drew her blade on me. My sister was a fine swordswoman.” The healer said, missing her sister acutely in that moment. Cooking together is something the two girls should have done. Instead, she did it with strangers.

They were nice strangers though, people she wished to get to know better.

Her vegetables were done though, finally, and at Cadra's direction she added them to an enormous soup pot that Cadra had set out for the main event. The Kelvic was busy poking some new potatoes that were boiling on the fire.

"Kavala, fetch a strainer, put it in the sink, and dump the potatoes out into it. They are ready. Then you can add them to the soup pot." She directed and Kavala moved to comply.

[Adrien Dair]

"It shouldn't be to much of a problem really. I should be able to carry everything one way or another." He shrugged, mentioning his other form that he had not changed to recently. Much to someones displeasure of Kavala. He had yet to break the habit of living in the city and not changing unless he was in the sea of grass. He felt safer here that was true but it was a hard habit to break after so many years to just be able to change freely was not something he was used to.

The butter sloshed and turned as it grew firmer. His eyes remaining on Kavala as Eselle spoke to her. Speaking of some man named Hirem had caused Adrien to tilt his head. Curiosity biting at his mind as the Konti spoke. Faith? She gave him faith? And strength? His mind wandered as he looked down at the handle he was turning. Did Kavala give him strength? He trusted her and cared about her. Even though he did not know how to say it he could feel it and the man did not know his own body to lie about that sort of thing. Her being in the training room with Anir popped into his mind. He certainly felt something while she was there. He did not know if it was strength but he knew that she made him feel better about himself. Made him feel whole in a way that he did not feel before. He sighed and ran a hand down his face.

He was drifting into his own little mindset as he churned. He stopped and grabbed a bucket, placing it under the barrel he pulled out the cork. Something Cadra had shown him earlier. The butter milk drained out into the bucket and he re-corked the barrel. Placing the bucket on the counter he went back to churning before Cadra gave him a nod to say that he was done. He poured the butter out into a separate bucket and brought it over to Cadra who took it from him.

He looked up as Kavala began to speak about the man Eselle had mentioned earlier. He turned his eyes away as she spoke of him, his brightness and being keen to his faith. He only turned back to her when she said that you could not give people strength. "I don't believe that is true. That you can't give someone strength." he said pausing for a moment as he looked between everyone in the kitchen before speaking again. "You may not be able to hand someone physical strength, but I feel that saying the right thing. Being behind someone when they need you or just showing someone that they can do something can be counted as giving them strength. Strength isn't only a physical thing. It's mental and emotional to. Someone like an Akalak can be physically strong but suffer in the mental or emotional side and the same goes for the other way. A mother gives strength to her daughter, tells her that she can do anything she puts her mind to. That she can be physically stronger then any man out there if she tries hard enough. A father showing his son how to protect the people he cares about. That his life should not be based on himself but rather the people he surrounds himself with."

"At least that's what I think" he said turning to Cadra to give him something else to do. The female Kelvic shrugged and told him that he could start cleaning up what they weren't using. He went around taking the utensils that were no longer in uses and taken them over the sink. He grabbed a few of the cutting boards and put them in the sink again. He decide to stay out of the other conversations. Washing them in the sink as he listened to Kavala's story. He chewed on his tongue and mumbled to himself. He had not had very many cooking experiences when he was younger, a lot of his experiences as a child was ether with his parents sheltering him. Which he was thankful for but it made wonder on what he had missed out on. And the other half was being pushed around by the Akalak children. He was awkward as a child. His emotions were a lot less controlled then they were now. He felt the want to charge the children, to push them over and run away.

He had changed since then grown up and developed more muscle mass and self control as he aged. But it still was no where near perfect. His mind still wandered back to those days and his emotions were never fully in check. He never expected them to be but he hoped to one day turn them into something helpful to others. Since he arrived at the Sanctuary, he found himself spending time with ether Larik or Cadra or Kavala. Even with her distance lately, he still wished to grow closer to her. But he wondered if that was even going to be possible. He glanced up at her again then to Cadra who was looking at him. She smiled a friendly smile and went back to what she was doing.

"So Adrien, you are going to stay and help clean up after aren't you?" Cadra asked. He sighed in a loud playful way, almost as if he were imitating something that Larik would do. "I guess" he turned around and stuck his tongue out at her.