Xanadu Weyr - Kitchens
It seems that with the fire that destroyed much of the kitchen, care has been taken to restore it to a condition well beyond what it was orignally. And thus state of the art equipment has been brought in from the various crafts to be used - stoves and large ovens replacing the hearths, while thin metal sheets have been installed over each countertop, for both ease of use and ease of cleanup. A large pantry remains generally open, containing a all the nonperishable goods, while a similarly large icechest contains the perishable goods.
It's chaos in the kitchens, as is usual for the late morning. The midday meal is about to be served, and preparation for supper has begun. At the center of it all? Bakercraft Master Denna. Apprentices, workers, and drudges run around, carrying food, both ready for service and to be prepared, the tiny redhead directing them all as much at home and in charge here as a Seacraft Captain on the quarterdeck of his vessel.
Just another insignificant cog in the wheel, Lorelai finishes chopping a bowl of tubers and hurries over to the woman in charge of it all. While she may not, precisely, be a Bakercraf apprentice, she's still under the command of the little redhead, "Where did you want these again, ma'am?" She might get a lecture about needing to listen better, but better that than not delivering them where they're needed, right?
Denna turns, and smiles at the girl. "Over to Journeyman T'maz, but he's not quite ready for them just yet." She looks down at the tubers, and nods in approval. "Very nice work. Those should cook nice and evenly." She turns, and frowns as one of the apprentices manages to trip, and drop a plate of meatrolls. "Sharaz, be careful. You're going to break your neck one day if you keep daydreaming in here…"
Lorelai nods, blushing a little at the complement about her knife skills, "Thank you, ma'am." She can't hide the delighted little smile that teases at the corners of her mouth, turning to look at the poor clumsy apprentice when the plate is dropped. She sets the bowl down on a nearby table and goes to help with picking up the dropped food, "I trip sometimes, too…" Just not very often, fortunately. She looks back over at Denna, "Since T'maz isn't ready for the tubers, can I help fix some fresh meatrolls?" It'll help keep things running smoothly, after all.
Denna grins. "Go right ahead." She watches for a moment as one of the drudges cleans up the mess, then moves to follow you. "Mind if I watch you?"
"Um…" Lorelai really can't say 'no' to her, so just shrugs, licking her lips nerviously, "Feel free, ma'am." She moves over to a free space, gathering up the things she'll need to make the meatrolls along the way and setting them out to frown at the ingrediants for almost a full minute.
Denna nods, and moves to watch you, standing quietly, and trying her best to be unobtrusive. Occasionally, she does glance over at something else, but T'maz has most of the kitchen under control, and she's confident in his skills.
The meetrolls Lorelai don't look quite as nice as what most of the rest of the kitchen workers can make, but aren't bad for someone that's only made them a couple of times before and always under the supervision of someone else. She looks up at the redheaded woman, her expression almost nervious. She looks like she's waiting to be spoken down to about her slightly sloppy efforts.
Denna smiles. "Very well done, dear. You definitely can use a little more practice, but they look good, and once baked, they'll be put out on the table for serving." She thinks for a moment. "I've been watching you around the kitchen for a while now, and I've been impressed with your skill. Have you ever considered joining the Bakercraft?"
Lorelai blushes again at the latest complement and grins at the thought of something that she had a hand in the final appearance of, "Thank you, ma'am." Then comes the question about joining the Bakercraft and her eyes widen in surprise, "Me?" Her voice comes out in a quiet squeek, "You think I should be a Baker?" Obviously, it's not something she's ever really thought about before. She licks her lips lightly, "I… I'd be honored to be able to learn from the best!" She loves her work, anyway, and becoming an apprentice would give her just that much more of an oportunity to learn recipes.
Denna nods, and grins as she reaches into her pocket, and pulls out something that she'd had hidden there. She presents you with a brand new, shiny Apprentice's knot. "Then welcome. I'll let the Headwoman know, so you can move your things to the Apprentice's dorms.
Lorelai's eyes are wide with wonder as she's presented with the new knot, her hands covered in flour, "Thank you, ma'am!" She replaces her old knot with the new one, beaming with pride, "Thank you." She's just been living in the dorms with the other young Weyr residents up 'til now, after all. It'll be nice to have somewhere to belong that's not just with ever other unskilled worker.
Denna grins. "Well, dear, you're hardly unskilled. You've got a lot of potential. I'm going to assign you to work with several of the Journeymen and Masters, of course. Do you have a specialization you'd like to work towards?"
Lorelai blushes a little more and nods at the thought of working with several different people, though, when asked what she'd want to specialize in, she shrugs, "I don't know… I really like making cakes and other sweets…"
Denna nods, smiling. "My specialty is confections, although as a Head Chef, I also have to be something of a generalist. But I'll work with you on confections and pastries. For general cooking, I want you to work with T'maz. When he was your age, he was already developing many of the recipes we serve here."
Lorelai grins and nods, "Yes, ma'am." She's obviously excited by the prospect of learning from Denna and T'maz both. Her eyes widen in wonder at the thought of T'maz having come up with recipes that are still served and she grins, nodding eagerly, "I'll try not to let you down." After all, the older woman is taking the risk of asking her to be a Baker.
Denna grins. "I'm sure you won't. Just remember thast it's going to be hard work, though. We try to make it fun, but it's still learning a craft, and honestly, one of the most important, but most overlooked crafts on Pern."