Xanadu Weyr – Kitchens
As you enter this room from outside, good smells assail you from everywhere. State of the art equipment has been brought in from the various crafts to be used - stoves and large ovens replacing the 2 hearths that used to be in here. Three baking ovens are usually going full bore 12 hours of the day, while the nighttime hours bring the smaller stove beside the door to the main hall into use. This is where you find late night meals of stew and soup simmering in pots, and pitchers of klah and tea in their electric units to be kept warm. Large windows take up the entire of the western wall, generally open wide to the mountainous landscape beyond allowing the cool breezes in to keep the kitchen's temperature to a desirable level. Tables, cabinets, and counters take up the remaining spaces and walls. It is here the majority of the work is done, and spices, herbs, and other foodstuffs found.
// Beside the night hearth in the southern wall is the door that leads out into the living cavern.//
A mid-autumn rain storm has crept upon the weyr, washing away any plans and hopes the Weyrlings had for flying lessons. Sadness. But that does leave Mur'dah free to…do paperwork. Which he starts and then decides he needs food. Preferably something warm and toasty with fresh butter and jam. In search of bread, Mur'dah pokes his head into the kitchens and then slips inside, grin crooked and charming, ready to attempt to charm some fresh baked bread from someone.
And that kitchen is a-bustle as it usually is, past the hectic meal serving time, so there's a bit of a lull in the crazy. It's still busy though! It's that hum of dish-washing, cleaning and food prep for the next meal. In the aisle over by the open door into the storage caverns sits a pile of cartons, sacks and kegs and more are being brought out. Nearby, in an alcove on a stool by one of the counters, sits Raelii. The beasthandler looks full of suppressed energy, sitting on her hands to keep them out of things, feet hooked around the legs to keep them from straying. The head cook must've given her a very stern warning to keep her out of mischief and out of the way. Her brown eyes are wandering though, spy Mur'dah's head poke in and she perks. Not that charming her will get him anything to eat, but it's Raelii who returns his smile. Hai! I'm bored. You're here to entertain me, right?
Mur'dah perks when he sees Raelii too, in pleased surprise. Dipping in a bow to the cook (who scowls and rolls her eyes) he moves quickly past her towards Raelii. And if he happens to swipe a few meatrolls on the way, well…that serving girl didn't mind his wink and grin. "Hey," here's a meatroll, "what're you doing here?"
Raelii might wish Mur'dah had passed the cupcake tray, but she's not complaining about the…meatroll. It might not be exciting, but hey - it's something to do, it'll keep her hands out of trouble and she won't have to continue sitting on them - her fingers are getting numb anyway. She accepts it with a, "Thanks!" and nibbles while nodding to that pile on the floor. "Waiting for supplies. My da sent me with a cart and the list." And hopefully she won't trade them for three magical beans on the way home! A few more nibbles and she asks, "What're you doing in here?"
Mur'dah glances at the pile and then around, and then outside with a thoughtful frown. "Huh. You know it's raining right? Do you have a…cover or something?" He sits down on a crate beside her, eating his meatroll in two bites and wiping his fingers on his trousers, eyes scanning the area for more food to pilfer. Hmm! "I came in looking for food. Flight lessons were cancelled and I didn't feel like doing any more paperwork. Hey, how are those babies we rescued? Doing alright?"
"No?" Raelii squeaks, eyes wide. Uh, oh! Someone's most likely gotten side-tracked before entering the kitchen to give cook that list. "It wasn't raining early this morning." That cart is likely soaked, oops? She takes another bite of her meatroll, chews and swallows and tips her head questioningly. "Didn't like what they're keeping on the serving tables for snacks?" She wriggles a little, leaning forward on her stool and lowers her voice, "Do they keep the good stuff in that cooler?" Her eyes are on the stainless steel door with unbridled curiosity. The Weyrleaders and visiting dignitaries must feast on the delicacies in there! And her wondering about it aloud is indeed her instigation for him to peek and grab while cook's back is turned. "They're growing. And eating less often." Thank Faranth!
Mur'dah smiles a bit in understanding. "Yeah, it's pouring. It just blew in…that's the autumn for you." Shrug. "Probably stuck here for a bit then, unless you want to go traveling home in the rain with everything." Not the best idea. "The stuff out there is fine, it's just not all that fresh. Been sitting for a while. The stuff in here is always better." It's a fact. Following her gaze to the door, he grins. "No, that's a decoy." He lowers his voice, eyes twinkling with mirth. "You'd /think/ there's good stuff in there, but when you open it…that's all dead animals on ice. The /good/ stuff is down in the store caverns, through a hidden door behind a bookshelf." Wink.
Raelii eeps. It's really raining! He's not kidding. "I can't stay!" she gasps. "Da wants this stuff by dinnertime." Surely they'll lend her tarps! She will ask… if she doesn't get sidetracked and forget. That cooler is awarded a look of fascination. Dead…carcasses? "Really?" This she has to see! And so she watches as cook disappears into those store rooms. then hops down off the stool and skips over to the cooler. She's got it open as he finishes the rest and winks, her burble of laughter over her shoulder coincides with the click of the handle releasing as she pulls. "C'mon." He's hungry and men like meat, right? She steps inside and a second later her voice floats back out, "Haha, very funny, Mur'dah. They have… ooooh!" Her voice sounds more faintly from within.
Shards, they're going to get in trouble again. WIth a quick glance around the kitchens Mur'dah hops down and moves quickly after her. "What is it?" he asks, stepping inside and instinctively pulling the door closed behind him. Click. This thing has a knob from the inside, right? It'd be stupid to not have one…
Noooo, trouble? Pffffffft! They'll be in and out before cook returns from that sekrit cooler behind that bookshelf in the storage room. "Custard tarts!" says Raelii with a bright smile over her shoulder as Mur'dah enters. She waves a hand at the tray of setting confections, obviously something fancy from the garnishes adorning the top of the miniature desserts. There might be a meeting in the council chambers this afternoon or something, for there aren't more than twenty of them. Click! the light goes out as the door, which does not have a handle on the inside (but they don't know that yet, do they?) Raelii squeaks again as darkness envelops them. And it is pitch black without a bit of light. Uh oh?
Mur'dah has a fleeeeeting glimpse of those delicious tarts, his hand reaching…and then, yeah. He closed the door. "Shit. Hang on. Don't move, we don't want to-" *crash* Run into anything? "Shit. Wait, hold on. Let me just…" Fumble fumble fumble, something else falls as his hands slide over the door. "Uh. Hang on." Knock knock knock. When that doesn't bring them blessed light, he bangs on the door with a closed fist. "It'll be okay, I know the Senior." He's trying to make a joke. Heh heh heh?
Thankfully Raelii does as she's told and stays put. So while she winces over those crashes, that tray of tarts is safe. Despite their thwarted pilferage, Raelii smirks at Mur'dah's joke. Har har. His banging on the door yields results in the form of cook. Ack? She stands there glowering, hands on hips. "What. Are. You. Two. Doing. In. Here?" Raelii, having scuttled two steps to the side as soon as the door allowed a sliver of light inside, eyedarts guiltily and spots… "Cheese!" she chirps and points to an entire cheese wheel that neither she nor Mur'dah could have lifted to cart out to the kitchen if they'd wanted to. Let's just hope in Faranth's name her da's list actually has cheese on it. How good is Mur'dah at charming irate cooks?
Depends. On the one hand he's had plenty of practice. On the other hand…he's had plenty of practice. Plus he's a bit splattered with the tray of marinating root vegetables he knocked over. Now he smells strongly of vinegar. "Uh. Cheese?" he says, looking at himself, back at Raelii, the wheel, then back at the cook. "Let me get this cleaned up, I'm sorry. Thanks for not making us die in there."
The look Raelii sends Mur'dah is desperate. C'mon, at least play along? Cook has no comment about the cheese wheel - perhaps she's not read all of the list items or they got lucky (not in the way Mur'dah might hope) and cheese is, indeed, on there. In any case, cook grates with a frown, "See that you do." Raelii drags her feet away from the vicinity of those tarts - and cheese - to help Mur'dah clean up those spilled root vegetables. With her foot, cook nudges a bucket of water inside the cooler, tosses a couple of rags after it, then flips a light on before shutting the door on them. And now they're imprisoned in the cooler with cook's knowledge. She may kill them yet. At least it's not a freezer?
Mur'dah looks startled when the cook closes the door on them. "Hey!" he protests, before sighing. "I know she did that on purpose. Probably still getting me back for that time I smoked out the kitchen trying to light an oven to make everyone pancakes…" It was when he was younger, clearly. Well. /Hopefully/ it was when he was younger. "Sorry about this," he says as he begins to mop.
Raelii choke-laughs in spite of the seriousness of the situation. Smoked kitchen isn't funny but a long-term grudge held by the cook is, for some reason. Why? Who knows. Maybe it's death-by-refrigeration that's tickling Raelii's funny bone. She's scooping double-handfuls of root vegetables into the wastebin while Mur'dah mops the vinegar-water up. "It's my fault. I'm the one who called you in here, Mur'dah. I'm sorry." But oh well. He included her in a prank on the Weyrleader and so now they're one for one? Still, "I'm sorry," she says contritely. She'll make it up to him. Somehow. If cook doesn't remember they're in here, at least they won't starve? And they can huddle for warmth? So romantic!
Mur'dah shakes his head, grinning at her. "I closed the door. So I'm sorry. It's all good, Raelii, no worries." Oh yeah, vinegar cuddles are the BEST. Really clears out the sinuses. "Once we're done here I'll help you find some tarps and get the wagon set up so things won't get ruined if the rain keeps up."
A little more worry would do Raelii some good! But she smiles up at Mur'dah. "Okay!" she says of tarps as she continues to scoop food into the bin going to the hogs. At least it's not a total loss but heh, Chapar will find himself billed for not only the supplies, but enough root vegetables to feed the weyr. This might be problematic for Raelii. Vinegar cuddles and… caviar dreams? Dreams that will be disrupted by cook as she returns, harrumphs at the cleanup job and (if there's any cuddling going on), snorts. They'll be commissioned to peel and chop the replacement root veggies they've destroyed. At least Raelii can do that work cheerfully and animatedly chattering with Mur'dah (she's good company if not excessively deep) while doing so. By the time they're finished? That rain may well have moved out, who knows?