Shhh, Quiet! Part I (solo)

[Vala]

3rd Day of Winter, 510 AV The Enclave was hushed and still. Morning light streamed in, through the stain glass windows, gently lighting the informal study tables. Only a few eager Yasi and Avora sat reading in the miscellaneous assortment of chairs. Vala made her rounds as an assistant librarian, checking the chairs and tables for any books left behind: she picked up two tomes, a scroll, while pushing in a couple chairs. Just as she was about to put everything away, a young girl reached out and handed Vala another book. The girl with flaming red hair didn’t even look up and acknowledge Vala, turning back to her readings without a thank you. Vala nodded respectfully, the girl was the daughter of an Endal and Vala knew her proper, subservient place as a Chiet, but that definately didn't mean she didn't want to punch the snooty priss, right in her perfect little nose. With everything, somewhat precariously, balanced in her thin arms, Vala walked through the stacks, putting the books away. She had barely begun, when her job began to test her patience. The snooty Endal girl’s book had come from the top shelf: even on the tips of her toes, the top shelf was at least a foot away from Vala's reach. Vala carefully placed the books down on the floor and it only took her a second to spot a stepping stool in the aisle one over. Standing on the stool, she carefully put the heavy guide on glassblowing away, but not before flipping through and looking at all the wonderful pictures of elaborate glass sculptures, she was even able to recognize and name some of the tools like the punties or the soffieta. Vala finished putting away the other books quickly, allowing her a little free time to read and wander on her own. Vala loved working in the library, but she couldn’t wait to finally fulfill her destiny as an artist: to become a master Glassblower, with skill worthy of her Inarta heritage. Vala didn't want to admit to herself that she was starting to grow bored with the menial tasks, and was probably going to get into trouble soon.

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[Vala]

Vala quickly wiped away the burning tears that escaped her eyes. They felt like hot wax, marring her cheeks, shaming her. She tried to keep composed, but she couldn't hold back her anger and frustration at getting caught. Now, Kirna had her shelf reading the entire Enclave’s collection to make sure all the books had been placed in their proper places, as well as pushing around the oldest, squeakiest cart to put in all the books that need some repair. Vala bit her lip angrily, in shame, as another Patron looked at her with their judging eyes as she passed by them. Vala tried to take a few deep breaths so she could focus on her work, instead of re-living the moment Kirna's shadow suddenly loomed over Vala, as she was switching the snooty Endal girl's books on Falconry with books on beekeeping. It was just a harmless prank, but Kirna had expected more from Vala. Vala didn't want to admit it, but she was less angry about getting caught and punished, and more ashamed of letting Kirna down. Too short to see the top shelf, let alone read the call numbers, Vala had to carry around a Yasi’s stepping stool: yet another degrading aspect of her punishment, but at least she had something to sit on when reading the bottom shelves. To help with the monotony, Vala began singing the call numbers under her breath, to the tune or beat of children’s songs, but no matter what she did, the numbers would begin to slur together and she would make mistakes. Vala wasn’t allowed to take legitimate breaks for food or water while carrying out her punishment, so the only respite her poor eyes got was when she sat on her stepping stool and cradled her aching head in her hands. Eventually Vala started to get better: spotting mistakes quicker, reading through numbers faster and faster. She also started to feel less embarrassed when she had to ask patrons to move so she could reach a damaged book. Vala finished shelf reading the entire Enclave in three bells, but they definitely felt more like three seasons. The Endal girl had left soon after Vala was lectured, but not without subtly following Vala around and taunting her with not so muffled snickering. The one silver lining Vala found was that at least the boring job helped her memorize the entire Shelving system, actually, it was less memorization, and more of a burning into her retinas. She had even spent a good thirty chimes at the Crafts aisle, especially at the glass working section. Vala, feet sore from standing all day, wearily pushed the full cart to the Reception Desk. Most of the other librarians and librarian assistants had left for the day; only the Kirna, Kavisan, and the graveyard shift librarians were left. Kirna looked up from copying a manuscript when Vala reached her. “Did you finish shelf reading the entire collection, Vala?” She asked in her calm, understanding tone, which always made Vala feel like a Yasi again, but not in a bad way. Kirna was experienced enough to know people, especially the younger ones, fairly well. She knew Vala didn’t mean to do any harm, but it still wasn’t right for a Chiet to challenge an Endal, no matter how snooty or horrid they were: but she did agree with Vala that Kiarika was always very rude when checking out books. Vala didn’t speak, she wasn’t in the mood. Vala nodded curtly, almost disrespectfully. Kirna sighed, she knew Vala would hate her a little for punishing her, but she had done it for Vala’s own good, even if Vala wasn’t willing to acknowledge that: Kirna was willing to deal with angry glares and cold shoulders, if it meant Vala could be a better person. Vala tried to keep her scowl up, but Kirna’s calm smile gradually broke through Vala’s defenses. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled as quickly as possible, before pushing the cart on to the repair station. Kirna smiled: she had succeeded. She gave Vala a few moments alone before walking over. “So how many books need to be repaired?” Vala jumped at Kirna’s voice, she was so engaged in carefully pulling the damaged books off the cart and organizing them into the proper repair stations. Vala continued working when the shock wore off. She was tired; she wanted to finish her job; then she wanted to collapse on her bed. “I counted twenty-nine books in bad condition. Most of them on Falconry or Glassblowing or Reimancy…” Vala’s speech began to slur as her head dipped from exhaustion. “These need new bindings or at least a good glueing; these have their call numbers so faded it’s hard to read; and others have missing pages or torn pages or something pages…” “Good job today, Vala. I’m proud of you.” Kirna said encouragingly, “why don’t you go home now, I can teach you how to record and fix them tomorrow, you did all the hard work today, you earned the privilege to sit around and do some easy paperwork tomorrow. And you can come two hours late tomorrow; sleep in, you’ve had a long day.” “Thank you ma’am-“ Vala’s words were stifled by a large yawn. Kirna just patted Vala on the back; Vala was too tired to react, other than just a tiny flinch. Vala, too tired to walk to her room, just plodded to a secluded corner of the library – the mathematics section – and promptly fell asleep as she crashed into the lumpy folds of an old leather recliner.

[Vala]

4th Day of Winter, 510 AV Vala woke up to the sound of a high pitched giggling. First Vala groaned in annoyance but then she growled in anger. Her back felt stiff from sleeping all curled up. She rolled off the couch, plopping to the ground. She went on all fours and stretched out her back, yawning contentedly. Her satisfying stretch was interrupted by more screechy giggling; Vala lost her balance and slammed her face into the recliner’s arm rest. She stood up, angrily rubbing her sore cheek. Vala’s hair and clothes were rumpled and in a general mess, but she didn’t care. Her vision was tinted red as she angrily sought out the prick that was making such a ruckus in a library. It didn’t take her long to find Kiarika sitting next to another Endal boy, giggling with a piece of food in hand. There were several other Yasi and Chiet reading, but their numbers began to dwindle as an exodus occurred to escape Kiarika’s cackle like giggle. The few that stayed, because they were already comfortable with their piles of books, recognized Vala as a Librarian Assistant and they looked at her, motioning their heads towards Kiarika, not so subtly suggesting for her to do something. Vala sighed. She was too hungry and cranky to deal with this, especially this early in the morning. There were two options here: 1. Ask Kiarika to lower her voice, politely. 2. Punch her in the throat. Vala went with option 3, there were too many witnesses. She shrugged apologetically to the other patrons as she walked to the reception desk to get Kirna. Kirna was surprised to see Vala. “Good Morning dear, I thought you were going to sleep in. Do you need a hair brush? I have one right here.” Vala took the hair brush gratefully. “Thank you. I actually need some help. It’s Kiarika.” “Vala you need to learn to put your pride away when dealing with Endal, you need to learn your place.” Kiara said, as well meaning as possible. Vala stifled a snarl, as well as a cutsey smile. Vala knew Kirna was too smart to fall for her cutsey face and charm, so she forced her face to remain serious as she tried to explain herself logically. “I acknowledge that I do hold a grudge against Kiarika. I also understand why you would assume that I am merely trying to get even, but I am not. I had fallen asleep in the mathematics section, when I was awoken by an unacceptable level of noise. When I went to investigate, I found Kiarika with another Endal, making enough noise to disturb other patrons, and with food in her hand. I would have asked her to lower her voice myself, but there were other Patrons present and I did not want to make it seem like a personal vendetta, by trying to embarrass her in public. I thought it was the most logical option to ask you to ask her to quiet down.” Vala released her fist, her fingers had turned white from how hard she was squeezing. Kiara was surprised yet again. “I’m proud of you for being so mature; I’ll take care of it right now.” Before Kirna left, Vala asked. “May I go to the kitchens before reporting for duty, ma’am?” Vala finished brushing her hair and returned the brush back in the cubby. “Yes of course, when you come back meet me at the repair station.” Kirna dismissed her with a nod.

[Vala]

Vala walked confidently through Wind Reach’s tunnels. Winter had only started and most Wind Reach citizens were still pleasant; the first storm wasn’t due for at least a few more days. Vala bowed respectfully to the passing Endal; a few Avora were pleased at her cute, well feigned politeness and acknowledged Vala with a nod or a smile. As she walked on, a snarky looking Avora called Vala aside, to a more secluded niche.

Vala knew she would have to do whatever he asked her, so she prepared herself to convince him otherwise. Vala recognized the man from around the streets where Dek usually hung out; he always looked suspicious, and was smart to be wary. “Would you like to buy this pretty necklace? Green looks very much your color.” He pulled out a shoddy made glass necklace and held it in front of Vala. His voice came out as a slimy hiss.

Vala smiled big at the creepy man, but she kept her eyes cold and piercing. “But sir, I’ve just recently found a job. I don't think I can afford such a piece of work. Maybe you should try her,” Vala pointed to a passing Endal woman, “She looks like she can afford it and her features would complement your beautiful work much better than my childish face.” The man was caught off guard by Vala’s sickly sweet tone paired with flashing, murderous eyes. He started to feel uncomfortable trying to sell to the girl he had first classified as an ‘easy’ mark, but he was still convinced he could convince her otherwise.

He tried to wrap up the necklace around her thin neck, but Vala sidestepped too quickly for the middle aged man. “Come on dear, don’t be like that. Just try it on. And you could always pay other ways.” He grinned, baring his jagged yellow teeth.

Vala resisted the urge to cringe in his presence; it would only cede to him dominance. She knew she had to keep cool and in control of the situation and herself. Since just sweet talking to the Avora didn’t seem to be getting the job done, Vala lowered her voice to a low whisper, hoping a little bit of intimidation would help scare the creep off. As Vala stood straighter, craning her neck, to appear larger, she smiled wildly, baring her own small sharp teeth, and said with a tone of off handed menace, “Actually I accidentally left my purse in my Katinu – silly me. If you really want, we can walk to the Enclave so I can pay you there. You can even meet my friend Kirna,” Vala knew she was exaggerating her relationship, but she also knew friend sounded a lot more imposing than just boss. “She’s a little imposing at times, but I’m sure she’ll take to you. You know, she even lets me see her husband Thomal’s eagle Sumar. Sumar doesn’t like most people; he looks vicious enough to just eat anyone. Vala grinned even wider, her smile turning her face feral.
Finally realizing that his mark was not as easy as he had first suspected, the man decided to waste his time on more productive ventures. “Fine,” he scoffed, trying to regain his pride. “You didn’t deserve it anyway.” He turned and slunk away into another tunnel.

Vala released a sigh of relief when the man turned the corner. After the unpleasant encounter, Vala had lost her appetite, but her confidence had near doubled from her success at repelling the man and from Kirna’s praise at the Enclave. Even without her earlier appetite, Vala continued to walk to the kitchens. Vala was nowhere near afraid of Kiarika but she still didn’t want to go back to the Enclave if there was still an inkling of a chance of seeing the prick: she didn’t want to lose control again, over such a worthless person.

Vala finally reached the kitchens during a slow time. Only a handful of Chiets sat eating at the tables. They talked quietly; the low mumble of their conversation barely audible next to the sounds of the never-ending work being done in the kitchens. Vala walked hesitantly in the kitchen, keeping against the walls to stay out of the cooks’ way. The smell of the cooking food filled the room, making Vala feel a little light headed from excitement.

Craning her neck, Vala spotted Chef Davoid in a quiet corner of the kitchens, looking at some kitchen records. He looked like he was in a fairly good mood as he read: it looked like they would actually have enough stocked food to last the entire Winter Season.

Puffing up her cheeks to help gather her courage, Vala walked up to Chef Davoid. She brushed back a lock of her hair, as she pulled out two leather thongs from her pocket to tie her hair with. She didn’t want to disturb him, so she waited until he looked like he was almost done. “Excuse me Chef Davoid; I was wondering if you need any help in the kitchens? I have worked here as a Yasi and I was very good at cutting and cleaning Vegetables and Fruit. I also like to knead dough for the bread.” She smiled up at him, hopefully.

[Phoenix]

At the sound of the hesitant, polite voice Chef turned to find it's source. Turning in a small circle, his gaze eventually lighted upon the small girl who had positioned herself but a few feet away. With a large mixing bowl balanced in the crook of one arm, the whisk held in the other was placed temporarily in the bowl as one meaty hand extended to clasp the girls shoulder. "Well look at you! Of course, we can always use help! That is, if you're not above doing some of the dirty work, my child!" The Chef's voice boomed and shook with a constant chuckle, his round face broken by a broad smile, sparkling eyes permanently crinkled with laughter. He was a very large man, the result of much food testing. The food the kitchens of Wind Reach turned out was delectable, so testing usually lead to sampling, sampling to eating. Large and jolly, the kitchen staff found it hard to tell Chef no. It was a very pleasant atmosphere. "Now, if you want to start with that counter over there. We prepared breakfast there this morning and it needs a scrub down before we can work on the meats for lunch. There is a rag and a bucket over there." The whisk had been taken back up as he spoke, whipping the cream in the bowl with practiced strokes. Thick peaks of whipped cream soon began to show over the lip of the bowl. The gesture towards the bucket in the corner of the room was with the whisk, cream flying everywhere. "Oh dear. I'm sorry if I got you.... After that, if you want to get some of the fruits from the cold locker, and some vegetables from the pantry you can slice and chop those. I'll let you pick which! They are sides for pheasant." Unphased by the mess he made Chef began to roam around the kitchen as he spoke, pausing to sample this or taste that, sometimes ordering more or less of an ingredient. He literally had his hands in everything that went through the kitchens. "Everything you'll need, knives and the like are right there on the counter. After you've completed that first bit, if you have time, grab the ingredients for bread. You said you can kneed dough, but have you made it? My dear, if you don't know the ingredients when the time comes feel free to find me.... NO! It will burn, CAREFUL!" And just like that he was off, leaving Vala to her instructions as he tried to prevent ruining of the food that was so precious to Wind Reach during the long, cold winter.

[Vala]

As chef Davoid’s meaty hand descended upon Vala’s shoulder, she froze, her eyes opening wide in discomfort. Thankfully the long conservative sleeves of her Vinati prevented any flesh on flesh contact. Vala gulped painful as she bit her tongue, trying to stifle a scream. She forced herself to regain control by drawing from one of her many masks. Vala plastered a pleasant smile on her face as Chef spoke. Vala was surprised that he didn’t noticed the crazed eyes she tried to stifle, glistening with tears of anger, just above her rosy cheeks.

When chef Davoid finally walked off with his bowl of cream, Vala released the breath she had been holding and just noticed that he had gotten a little of the fluffy white cream on her arm. She lapped it up, trying to savor the sugary treat, focusing on the taste to help her push away the crawling feeling of distress that burned on her shoulder. Vala made a note to herself to keep a watchful eye on Chef’s hands next time.
Though few people were eating in the hall, the kitchen remained bustling with busy workers. Most were too engaged in their work to notice the eager volunteer. One older woman smiled at Vala encouragingly before looking back down at the vegetables she was deftly chopping. Her hands moved so fast, it was like a blur, the knife making a resounding ‘clack’ against the board at every chop. Vala was grateful for the kind look as she tied up her hair into two high pig tails.

Like all Yasi, Vala had spent a few of her bendi in the kitchens: cleaning was nothing new to her. The counter, more like mountain, of dirty dishes had seemed much smaller when Chef Davoid mentioned it, but now, as Vala stood before them, she sighed in resignation. She knew if she actually wanted to touch the food and actually learn ‘cooking’, before she went back to work at the Enclave, she needed to start soon.

Vala didn’t want to go right into washing willy-nilly, though. Vala was a planner, even when it came to washing dirty dishes. The pots that had been used for cooking were all caked with hardening bits of food. The serving and eating dishes weren’t as dirty. Working smart instead of just hard, Vala soaked all the dishes in soapy water from the bucket next to her, to start loosening the food bits and make it easier to scrub. She puffed up her cheeks, her brows furrowing, in annoyance as she spilled a little of the soapy water on herself; Vala resented her physical weakness at times like this.

With everything soaking, Vala gingerly picked up the worn scrubbing rag. The ends of the rag were fraying and it looked brown, but it was obvious that wasn’t its original color. Vala wasn’t bad at cleaning, but she definitely wasn’t fond of dirty things either. She began to scrub, using her whole body to give power to the motion, washing the cleanest things first, to allow the harder stuff to soak longer. She scrubbed each plate, pot, and bowl until they were all free of nasty food bits. And as she dumped the dirty grayish water in the bucket down the drain and filled it with fresh clean water, Vala noticed her fingers getting all pruned; she couldn’t wait to start chopping vegetables, and maybe even make bread all by herself.

A childish Yasi, wearing only a plain blue byrda, grabbed on to Vala’s byrda and pulled to catch her attention. Vala scowled at the contact, looking down at the boy with an unfriendly glare. “’Scuse me. ‘Scuse me. ‘Scuse me! Ma’am?” The boy called out in his high pitched voice. Vala shook her leg, trying to get him off.

She smiled sweetly when the boy grunted in pain, as Vala ‘accidentally’ kneed him in the Solar Plexus. “Yes dear? Do you need something?” Vala’s honeyed voice held an undertone of a menacing growl, which the naïve boy did not catch.

“Well,” He jumped up into the air, excitedly. “Today is my third day of my Bendi in the kitchens. I was supposed to wash these, but I really had to go to the bathroom. “ The boy looked like an imp with his pointed features and jagged smile. Several cooks around the kitchen, disturbed by the boy’s piercing voice gave Vala a sympathetic look; a few others just glared at the boy. It was obvious he was going to grow up to be a Dek, a Chiet at most. Vala had no pity for the worthless creature, and tried to ignore him as she focused on the work she was assigned. She turned back to begin rinsing the dishes as the boy rambled on. “I don’t really like to wash dishes, I think it’s boring, but Chef-ie won’t let me do anything else, says I’ll waste the food, which I won’t, I sweared on my word, I hate washing dishes, you know… Are you listening to me lady?” Vala had retreated into her mind, picturing all the beautiful glassworks she would make when she was a master. She was almost done, which was good for the both of them; if she had to listen to the brat any longer, witnesses be damned, she would slam his face into the counter until his teeth shattered. Vala giggled at the thought.

When she was finished drying off the last dish Vala tried to stack them up, organizing them a bit. She didn’t know where to put them and was sure another chef would take care of them now that the dirty work was done.

The boy had tried to help a little, but Vala unceremoniously just pushed him away with her hip or with a wet dish. So when she was done, she quickly walked away from the sulking boy to get some veggies and fruit to chop from the pantries and the cold room, without a second look back.

[Vala]

Vala strode up confidently to the store rooms, excited and ready to work with real food. She recognized the three burly Chiet that guarded the doors from just seeing them around the Common Rooms. It was in the middle of their shift and they were starting to get bored, the sight of a ‘new’ girl was something to break the monotony. They had seen her talking with Chef so they knew what she needed, but they wanted to have some fun before they let her get everything. “Hey there little girl.” The smallest one said with a friendly smile. Vala side stepped before he could get his hand on her shoulder; she tried to smile as bright as she could to deflect the negative effect of her ‘rudeness’. “So uh,” The man tried to regain his composure after being rejected, “What do you need?” he asked a little gruffly. Vala bent her head down, looking up with glistening, wide doe-eyes. “I uh,” Vala stammered, pretended to be sheepish. “Well Chef awsked me to get some veggies and fwuit, and chop ‘em up real good for lunch today. Awnd, I really, really want to chop, I like it so much. So can I pwetty please go into the cold store room, please, I promise not to finch none.” She giggled bubbly as she bit her lip ‘nervously’. The tough looking men were no match for Vala’s cutsey act. The largest one tried to keep a straight face but couldn’t help breaking into a jolly smile. “Oh come on Tovan, we can’t tease a little girl like this. What if she starts crying? Chef would beat us for sure.” The others nodded in pleasant agreement and one turned around and unlocked the cold storage room. “Here you go little lady. Try not to stay in too long, it gets colder than a jilted lover’s heart in there. We’ll even leave the door unlocked so you can right out when you’re done.” The man waved her in, about to pat her head, but Vala avoided by ducking with a polite bow and quick thank you, before she ran into the cold room. It was beautifully cold inside the store room. The large blocks of ice situated around the room glistened in the dim light. It was then Vala truly appreciated her conservative Vinati; she liked the feel of the cold air tickling her warm flesh. If she listened closely she could even hear the steady flow of water in the pipes. In ten seconds, the cold was growing less pleasant, and a little more biting. Vala’s breath came out in warm little puffs, exaggerating how cold the room was. Vala wished Chef had told her instead of allowing her to wing it: she had no idea what went well pheasant, or even what a pheasant really was. She remembered reading, skimming, in a recipe book about… no, Vala had no idea. She walked over to the vegetable section and took a handful of carrots: Carrots went well with most everything. Next she moseyed over to the fruit section. With no idea there, Vala closed her eyes and reached blindly: she picked out a ripe, green pear. She grabbed three more, precariously balancing everything in her arms, before walking quickly out of the cold room. The men chuckled as Vala shuffled her way out, closing and locking the door behind her. “Thank you so much!” Vala tried to bow, but nearly dropped a pear so she just nodded politely and scooted off to a chopping board. She found empty counter space by the lady who had smiled at her earlier. Hastily dumping all the ingredients, Vala walked over to another kitchen counter to grab a paring knife before returning. She had spent half a bell washing dishes, and she didn’t want to spend any more than two bells at the kitchens: she still had work at the Enclave to do. Vala was worried she wouldn’t have enough time for making bread. Vala decided to do the carrots first; she knew the pears would start to brown after cutting. With a little too much enthusiasm, Vala began cutting the carrots, knife flying high and landing hard. Vala wasn’t lying when she said she cut vegetables before, but she never said anything about being good at it. Vala’s knife clanged against the counter, when she nearly dropped her second piece of carrot on the ground, but she managed to catch it mid air. The lady beside Vala sighed in exasperation: she was glad there were still hard working citizens willing to volunteer and help Wind Reach, but she wished there were more opportunities to train such volunteers. The lady, having some sort of old lady 6th sense was semi-aware of Vala’s aversion to touch so she called out instead. “Please, stop. Here let me show you.” The lady shooed Vala off to the side as she handled the mangled carrot with her own knife in her right hand. “Well first of all, you forgot to peel the carrot; oh hush up, don’t look so sad; these carrots are pretty fresh and you only cut the tip so people won’t even notice. Ok look here, this is how I hold I knife see? Not too tight: definitely do not hold the knife until your fingers are white from pressure,” the lady looked at Vala accusingly, who only looked back sheepishly. “So with a firm but fairly relaxed grip, you just skim off the outer layer of the carrot, like this.” She demonstrated slowly, just on one side, to Vala, before peeling the rest of the carrot in a few seconds. That’s simple, I’m sure you’ll catch on quick, just be slow at first. Peeling is when people get careless, let their guard down because it’s so simple, and they just cut themselves, usually pretty bad: Don’t.” The lady held her knife up to Vala’s nose and stared her down. Vala was appreciating the free lesson, but she was starting feel uncomfortable from all the up close and personal warnings. “Ok, now to the actually cutting of vegetables. It’s a little different for fruit than from carrots, which are one the simplest veggies you can cut.” The lady brought her knife down slowly, motioning Vala to pay close attention. “Okay, you see the very back of this blade here? This part is called the heel. With hard stuff like these carrots you start here to press hard and then with somewhat of a rocking motion you rock the blade towards the tip to cut, instead of one un-coordinated chop at the middle of the blade. Got that? Good, those are the basics. Slow down, you’re still new. When the motion becomes natural to you, then you can start going faster. If I, or any other chef, sees you waste any food by dropping them, don’t think that we will even hesitate for a moment to shove your sorry ass in the cold storage room. Got it? Good. You look fairly competent. And I kinda like you, so feel free to threaten that brat from earlier if tries coming near you again. He’s bothered the rest of the cooks enough… If he wasn’t a Yasi… Oi, what are you doing not chopping?” Vala shook her head, trying to regain her bearings. Vala nodded gratefully, trying to remember and put all the advice to use.. “Thank you so much for helping me!” She said earnestly. The lady just smiled and went on with her work. The sound of the two women chopping filled the kitchen.

[Vala]

Vala carefully sliced up the last pear, making sure to rock the blade from heel to tip instead of chopping wildly as she did before. The carrots were a little large and blocky, the pears a little mashed, but Vala was proud of her handiwork; and she was very grateful for the advice she got from the lady. When she finished she went back to the bucket of water, rinsed off her knife and put it back where she got it. “Um excuse me,” Vala turned to the lady and asked, a little embarrassed she had forgotten to ask her name or introduce herself. “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself: My name is Vala. And uh, where should I put the ingredients that I chopped up?”

The lady looked up from her chopping. She had mountains of chopped ingrediants, neatly organized, at her side. “Well nice to meet you Vala,” She offered Vala a quick nod, which she returned. “My name’s Eta, and you can leave them right there, I’ll take care of it. It was a pleasure working with you Vala, please come help anytime. It makes my job a little easier,” Eta chortoled and went back to her cutting. “I thought you had one more task to do before you left. If you need any help the chefs who normally make bread are at that counter over there.” She motioned in a general direction with her head.

Vala nodded, forgetting that Eta couldn’t see her. “Ah yes. Thank you.” It had taken Vala another thirty chimes to cut all the ingredients, which gave her a little less than a bell to make the bread. Vala walked over to the bread making counter, feeling a little rushed. “Excuse me? Uh can I help?”

Vala walked up to the group of chefs busy measuring, mixing, and kneading the city’s daily bread. They were on a bit of a deadline to finish the batches for the day so they weren’t eager to help. “Can you read?” One asked sharply.

Vala suppressed at growl, “Yes…. I can read.”

The man didn’t look up, “Well the bread recipe is right over there, instructions too. So read that, and if you don’t understand anything, read it again. And if you really, really can’t understand, go wash some dishes.” Vala puffed up her cheeks, her pride stinging, but she knew they were right. So she walked over to where they said the recipe parchment was and picked it up. It was well worn and covered in flour but still quite legible; Vala wished her handwriting could be as perfect. She read over it. And then read over it again. And just to make sure, she read it one more time.

1/2 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the starter and water together. Combine the flours and mix in. Let rise for twelve to eighteen hours. Sprinkle salt over and knead lightly. Let rise an hour or two, until doubled. Punch down dough and knead until springy. Shape two loaves and rise for one hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Vala blanched at the time requirements: let rise for twelve to eighteen hours? She looked back at the men, they were working by racks filled with dough made from the day before. Vala decided to make two batches, leave it on the racks to rise, then knead the already prepared batches, and leave then.

“Ok… water… flour… other flour… salt... sourdough…” Grabbing an unused mixing bowl Vala ran around trying to gather the ingredients and put them in the proper order. She debated for a second whether or not it would be ok to take off her Vinati, seeing as it was starting to get thoroughly stained by the flour. She decided to keep it on, mixing just a little more carefully. It didn’t take that long to get the ingredients that were scattered about the counter, but Vala’s arm started to get tired from the mixing, especially after adding the flour which only solidified the mixture. “Whew.” Vala wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, getting a streak of white all over her face. “Ok one batch done…” She found another empty mixing bowl and got to work on that one. By then her right arm was burning like crazy so she switched to her left. If Vala’s right arm got flour everywhere, then Vala’s left arm got flour everywhere. Vala’s cheeks turned hot pink when she heard the other chefs laughing, she tried to slow down but she knew she didn’t have much time. By the time she was done she wanted to cry from the burning sensation in her arms. She had no idea cooks had to be so muscular, or in shape for that matter.

As she put the batch on the rack one of the chefs took the time to notice her. “Good job girls, but next time, don’t come back until you’ve built up some arm strength.” They sniggered jokingly.

It had taken her nearly an entire bell for both mixtures: she knew she didn’t have time to knead this time so she went to find Chef to report to him before going back to the Enclave. She proud of the work she had done and the appetite she had built up. Since the food line was fairly empty, a bell before normal lunch hour, she was able to grab a piece of bread and cheese before spotting chef.

“Excuse me chef? I’ve finished all that you’ve asked of me. I left the dishes there, because I was unsure where to put them but they are all clean. I left the all the sides the I chopped with Eta, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going back to the Enclave now, thank you for letting me practice cooking.” She bowed respectfully.

[Phoenix]

"Yes yes child, you did wonderfully. If you'd like, take some of the fruits for yourself on your way out. You sure did earn them" That meaty hand, covered in flour and other bits of food descended once more to thump Vala's shoulder. "Be sure to come back if you are bored again, we could use your help!" Jolly and slightly out of it as always, Chef moved quickly from the small girl, once again tasting and testing everything he passed. If she came back, he probably wouldn't remember her, but would give her a job anyway. He was right, the kitchens could use all the hands they could get.

[Vala]

Vala beamed at Chef’s compliment; it gave her a sense of validation; it even allowed her to stay calm when he touched her again. It was only a quick thump to the shoulder but Vala was proud she didn’t have to hurt herself to stay calm. When an un-feminine grumbling hit Vala’s ears, she turned her head, looking around to see if anyone heard it too; a pink blush scaled her rounded cheeks. So, with bread and cheese in hand, Vala decided to take Chef up on his offer, sneaking up to the chopping counter and swiping a few mushy, ripe pear slices. She quickly stuffed a juicy piece into her mouth, plumping her cheeks like a chipmunk. She squinted in pleasure at the taste: As a chiet she rarely, if ever, had the opportunity to enjoy fresh fruits, she wouldn’t let the moment pass without savoring it properly. With lunch in hand, Vala began her short trek back to the Enclave. Her trip was quick and uneventful as she happily munched. When she neared the Enclave, she took a moment to finish the rest of the food before entering, as not to make a mess. It was midday, lunch hour, and the Enclave was bustling with Wind Reach’s scholars. The dim winter light, was brighter now, and many of the librarians were blowing out the superfluous candles. And the sound of quills scratching upon parchment was music to Vala’s ears as she walked to the repair station at the Reception table, where Kirna had asked to meet her earlier. Vala didn’t have to wait long for the Kirna, clad in an elegant gray Byrda embroidered with glittering glass accents, with a matching Vinati. “You look very beautiful, today, Kirna.” Vala offered with a childish smile. Kirna smiled back. “Thank you dear. You were gone for a while. Were the food lines long?” Vala shook her head. “No, I just wanted to help a little, practice some cooking and all that. And chef even allowed me some fresh fruit to munch on, since I chopped them up for the midday meal and all.” Vala’s hands moved energetically, the young girl growing more animated as she remembered the fulfilling praise she had received. “It’s good you’re volunteering, that’s a healthy habit and I quite approve, but I unfortunately must rush, I have some business with Kavisan I have to attend to. The level of repair I need you to do isn’t too difficult, yet, so I’m sure you won’t need me to supervise you. Here let’s take care of these first.” Kirna pointed to a large stack of books to her left. “These have all been fixed by other librarians; we just need everything logged in the maintenance book.” Vala was afraid to interject. “but…” Kirna already knew what the young chiet was going to say. “Yes I know your handwriting is horrendous, that is why I had all the others leave this to you; so that I could force you to practice your calligraphy. Copying or rewriting real books to be put on the shelves requires great skill and patience, and we’re both sure you’re not ready for that yet, but logging maintenance records, while important, isn’t important enough to merit a master calligrapher. Just make sure you keep a steady hand with minimum ink blotches ok?” Vala nodded excitedly. She was too appreciative of the more ‘valuable’ assistant work to complain about the resulting tediousness. “Ok, that’s easy enough. You know where the ledger and the quills and inks are, I don’t need to show you those. When you finish with the ledger though, these books have their bindings coming loose. With this brush,” Kirna pulled out a small basket of tools. “Brush a thin layer of glue on both the binding and the backs of the pages, then compress them in the carts over there. Do not forget to cap the glue jar when you're done, or it will dry out. Got everything?” Vala nodded, ready to do some more work for the day.