Xanadu Weyr - Hot Springs
The warmth that flows from this cavern is almost overwhelming for some, the steam rising from the shimmering pools as thick as the morning fog that rolls in off the ocean. Numerous pools are scattered here and there with ribboned walls that are natural in their construction. The water has a somewhat green cast to it, but it is merely a reflection from the ethereal light which is the glow down here that was so noticeable from the tunnel leading here. People can often be found down here washing themselves or just relaxing.
Situated along the walls are various racks covered in fresh towels ready for those who step out of the warm waters. A set of shelves have been installed towards the back wall, allowing people a place to put their belongings while they rest in the pools, and despite the white color that these have been painted, they are cast with that eerie green glow. Then, it's obvious. The ceiling of this cavern is covered in the fluorescent phosphorous matter that glows are made off. The mossy substance almost glitters and appears quite lovely.
A sloped tunnel leads back to the main caverns, a single branch carved out along it to detour down into the laundry room. It allows the passage of people, but even more importantly, it allows for metal pipes wrapped with insulation that run along the ceiling to carry heated water back and forth to where it's needed.
It's a tranquil evening. Serene. Perfect. The time has grown late enough that many who make a routine stop to the Hot Springs at the end of the day have come and gone on to their beds, but the cavern still holds a fair few of the Weyr's denizens. There's a low murmur of conversation from some of the pools dotted about the space that blends with the quiet movement of water. Stefyr's voice isn't one of the ambient, soothing hum, but he is relaxing in one of the larger pools, his head tipped back on a towel folded on the rock behind him for this very purpose. He's submerged to his shoulders, though he might well be sitting on a natural ledge or squatting to achieve it at his height. His eyes are closed, because it's calm. There's nothing to fear here. Certainly not drowning.
There are many ways to interrupt calm…V'ayn being one of them currently. The man's brows are knit together as he makes his way to the hot springs. His attire? Quite unusual. Typically the baker is nicely dressed but today…not so much. "Show the littles they said. The children will behave they said. They won't make a mess they said! No one will VOMIT they said." There's an annoyed grunt as the bronze rider, wearing just his underwear and an apron, snags a towel. It's not just a normal apron either because apparently no one had a spare. No, it's a horrific red and white somewhat laced affair that one of the poor apprentices let him borrow. Where is his dignity? Out the damn window!
And let's be realistic, Risali just would not be Risali if she passed an opportunity like this up. See, she was late in the office working, forgoing dinner and all manner of getting food into her tiny body that means she's here now, clothes traded altogether for a towel that she is merely hugging over her front instead of wrapping around her body with one arm while the other hand holds a banana she WILL SURELY EAT, but hasn't quite bitten into yet. BUT RIGHT, WE SPOKE OF OPPORTUNITIES AND NOT PASSING THEM UP AND HERE IT IS, FIRST IN THE FORM OF V'AYN who gets not just a take, but a doubletake from the Weyrwoman before she moves her feet to catch up. BUMP goes her shoulder into his, as she leans DANGEROUSLY SIDEWAYS INTO HIM, that banana wielded dangerously between them as she tilts it towards him as if she means to POINT and deviousness conquers her expression when she says, "Do you need me to order twenty more of those for the kitchens, V'ayn?" BECAUSE SHE WILL. SEE IF SHE WON'T. It's in the midsts of almost taking a bite out of that banana around TOO RUDE OF A SMILE aimed at V'ayn that grey eyes slowly stray and catch sight of POOR INNOCENT STEFYR, TRYING TO LIVE HIS BEST LIFE IN THE BEST POOL. It spares the banana at least — for now. "STEFYR!" Look. She lifts her other hand to wave and that towel is GETTING DROPPED, so it's PURE LUCK. ABSOLUTE. PURE. LUCK. that another human just happens to stand from pool and stretch an awkward amount of time so that Risali can retrieve and reapply her towel without harming ANY EYES. Yet.
"They always vomit," Stefyr's voice drifts, deadpan, to the unfortunate man in apron and little else, but with the authority of experience weighted behind the tone. His blue eyes come open only after offering this pearl of wisdom and his head raises in time with his eyebrows to observe the bronzerider with a length of gaze that is probably usually considered rude in the Hot Springs, but given the strange attire, can he be blamed? A blink seems to recognize the inappropriateness of his curiosity (this time) and he looks away… and then back. It lingers even more because suddenly Risali is there and like that his eyes grow very wide and then he looks away. He's been in the Weyr long enough that some of that non-Weyr shyness has to have rubbed off, but evidently not enough when it's someone he knows in more than passing. Given the thread of conversation between Risali and V'ayn, it's not any wonder that Stefyr's eyes draw back, even if it means he can't help color rising in his cheeks. Maybe he's just embarrassed by the situation on the whole and not hoping for another convenient drop without the equally convenient block. It could happen, even though he's a red-blooded 20 turn old. "Bad night?" He ventures cautiously to V'ayn. He's beginning to recognize the signs of crazy when they present themselves, but unfortunately for the gardener, he's a slow learner. It's probably why he adds, "Hi Risa," without nearly enough caution (but still some). "Not lost tonight?" Or is she. He squints at her instead of looking away, before he inevitably looks away, to the ceiling. That's safe. Unless someone has painted awkward murals or something.
Aside from N'on, the one other person that he didn't want to run into looking like this - the Weyrwoman. V'ayn grunts upon being leaned on, as if Risali was a massive burly man and not a tiny thing. What a (fake) weakling. "Absolutely not. It's an eyesore, this child has horrible taste and this thing should be burned." Along with many other things. It's then that he follows Risali's gaze and catches sight of Stefyr, "And this is why I tend to avoid children at all costs!" There's a click of his tongue before he's reaching around to quickly take off the garish apron and replace it with an appropriate towel. His, at least, is not all loose goosey like a certain person's.
"I don't know," Risali drawls, reaching over awkwardly to catch one of V'ayn's biceps between her fingers and make a show of not being able to do more than flex her fingers around it. "I think it looks pretty good on you." EYEBROWS RAISE, but she's definitely teasing — at least, that hint of tongue between her teeth when she scrunches her nose in a smile up at him says as much. "Though, you know I've never been one to turn down a good fire." She has some paperwork that they can probably burn, too. "Tell you what, cater the damn thing, and we'll have a little 'burn stuff that everybody hates' party down by the beach. You just can't burn Leirith." A beat. "Or me." And there she goes, huffing a breath of laughter as she lets her feet carry her a little more quickly onward and forward, closer to where Stefyr resides in the false safety-net of his own pool. She settles to sit RIGHT BESIDE HIM, bless the poor man, sinking her legs into the pool and keeping her towel hugged around at least half of her body as she leans PERILOUSLY SIDEWAYS and drops her forehead on top of his. It's awkward. Everything about it is awkward, right down to the angle (and the banana, threatening to find homage on a chin and a cheek as she holds it aloft), but it doesn't stop her from doing it. "I should be asking you that. Nobody lost their herdbeast in here, did they?" And then Risali is righting her posture, kicking her legs without sending a spray of water AMOK while leaning back and waving V'ayn CLOSER. OVER. You know. If he isn't here yet. IT'S A NEAR MISS, but she catches her towel again just in time, and smiles back down at the gardener. "There is a bronzerider here to save you though. If you need it." That's a point of her fingers at V'ayn, and TOO BIG OF A SMILE.
If Stefyr is going to be stuck in the awkward, which, of course he is, because he doesn't run away as any sensible person might do when Risali moves toward him, he might as well be rewarded for not getting too skittish. It's not even that he freezes, exactly, so much as he watches her come, watches her sit, all with obvious trepidation in his face, but he doesn't run. So, his reward? Obviously, he bites her banana. It was an offer, right? It was awfully close to his mouth, in his space. It must be for him. That's how you train a pet gardener, right? He doesn't miss the near miss of her towel's almost departure from flesh, but his mother must have trained his manners well enough to not actually show disappointment in his face, or swear aloud, and that bob of his Adam's apple is probably just because he needed to swallow his bite of banana. Right? His blue gaze drifts to V'ayn and his brows furrow, "I'm not sure this one would want to carry me home." He is smaller than R'hyn, after all. "Although, at home, we'd say an apron like that might point more to yes than no." He made a joke, or he tried anyway. The smile that accompanies it, directed to the bronzerider in question, is more tentative than it should be, but he's new at jokes, here. He's new at here, full stop.
V'ayn takes personal offense at the bicep squeezing. Nevermind that he was the one that just acted like she was made of stone. "While I appreciate what red does to my skin tone, lace…." Lace he cannot abide by. Fires though? There's an evil sort of glint in the baker's eye and he lets out a dark chuckle, "A hate-burning party? Catered by me? That is something I could certainly get behind." Because he is a horrible man. Once the baker has gathered all the things he needs for bathing he pauses in his step. But can anyone blame him? He is watching a half-naked Weyrwoman feed a banana to a young man. If it weren't for such blatant waving form Risali he would probably turn around right there. That and he feels gross. "Am I capable of whisking him off? Possibly. But I believe it'd be best for everyone if we left him in your clutches." MUAHAHAHAHAHA.
HAVE YOU TRIED HAVING LESS SQUEEZABLE BICEPS THEN, V'AYN? That's what we thought. "OI," comes indignant at first, a heartbeat of Risali looking like she's about to go John Wick up in this B over the loss of One Single Banana Bite. But then she's stifling laughter, trying to feign her best somber voice with her best wistful tones as she breathes out, "That was my banana." And then she's taking her own bite of it, looking behind her for V'ayn seconds before she pulls the peel down a little lower and tilts it sideways for Stefyr to take another bite. If he wants. A beat, two, three, and NEVERMIND because she's breaking off a (small) piece of that banana to throw RIGHT AT V'AYN. And then, for Stefyr: "You can have this if you want it." The BANANA, SHE MEANS. GET IT TOGETHER. She even holds it out for him to take if he wants it, waiting just long enough for him to ACCEPT or DECLINE before she IS, in fact, letting go of her towel while she sinks into the water beside Stefyr. AND THEN SHE NEEDS SOMETHING ELSE TO SAY, so she clears her throat and she offers up, "I changed the rules, V'ayn! You can only cater if you show up in that. Otherwise, I'm asking Demetrius." WHO IS DEFINITELY NOT NEARLY GOOD AT TREATS OR SURPRISES AS V'AYN. TAKE HER INSULT AND LIKE IT.
It's really a good thing that Stefyr already swallowed the banana because it means when V'ayn answers and he chokes, he's probably not in danger of dying. Apparently, this was not the response he was expecting the joke to get from the bronzerider. You can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. Wide blue eyes go from the bronzerider to the goldrider and back again. It might be a plea for help, or just recognizing there's more than one predator in this cavern. Maybe the discussion of hateful fires should've clued him in sooner. Thankfully, there's a ready distraction in the form of the banana, which he snaps teeth in air at as he misses his window and follows (longingly?) the lobbed missile back toward V'ayn. At least Stefyr seems to get himself together quickly, or is rrrrreally good at glossing over the awkward. He takes the banana automatically, then considers it in his hand (so long, in fact, that he misses Risali's towel dropping so she can slide into the pool), but doesn't eat it, instead angling it back toward the goldrider, "Have you eaten? Why did you bring a banana if you weren't going to eat it?" It's there if she wants to change her mind, but NOT IF SHE'S GOING TO THROW IT AT ANYONE. Wasteful. "You're a cook?" He gathers, looking toward the baker, probably trying to help the conversation along on a positive, normal note, despite all the banana feeding and shenanigans.
Oh he is not touching that bit of banana thrown at him. No way. There's a quick dodge from the baker who just barely manages not to fall into one of the pools. Instead he somehow makes it safely to stand at the edge where Stefyr and Risali are and then look down with deeply knitted brows. "DEMETRIUS? You have to be kidding me. He can't do a proper butter cream much less a royal icing and have you seen his decorating abilities?" The man scoffs, lifting his chin as he does so, "A blink wherry could do better than that." Look, V'ayn is…vain. Especially when it comes to baking. SOMEONE gave him a fitting name. "Surely even without the apron I'm the better choice." There's a quick snap of his fingers as he points at Stefyr, "Surely you agree that I'm the better baker, no?" Not that Stefyr has any context, but whatever. And sure V'ayn might be a bit of a party pooper sometimes, but…he isn't always. Which is why he definitely noticed Stefyr's reaction and appears to want to fan the flames, "Didn't anyone teach you two to not play with your food? Especially the banana - it's indecent."
HAS SHE EATEN? AHAHAHA. Ahahaha. Aha. Ha. "No." Which is probably why she does catch at Stefyr's arm and lean forward to take another bite of that banana. INDECENT. SCANDAL. WHAT IS WITH THESE WHORISH WEYRFOLK AND THEIR LOOSE MORALS ANYWAY. Risali seems BLISSFULLY UNAWARE of masculine dilemma, however (or willfully — same difference), but after that bite she exhibits a hint of mercy by taking the banana back. Or maybe not, because all she's doing is angling it back towards Stefyr for another bite while she turns to face V'ayn and rests one elbow on the lip of the pool while her chin comes to rest in the palm of her hand. "Demetrius," she tells him on a whisper that's mostly threat. "Questionable," she answers him about WHO IS THE BETTER COOK and then she's leaning back to tilt her chin and her head towards Stefyr — for whom she is still extending that banana. "The very first time he fed me anything, I couldn't keep it down." IT'S DANGEROUS TO TRUST THE EXPERIMENTS OF A MAN WHO SO READILY ENJOYS THE THOUGHT OF CATERING HATE-FIRE PARTIES. And then… and then she's flushing, because V'ayn is MAYBE THE WORSE and Risali understands your connotations which is why we better hope that Stefyr has grabbed that banana (or finished it) because Risali is casting aside DIGNITY and PROPRIETY in the name of GOING FOR V'AYN'S LEGS TO PULL HIM INTO THE WATER. Maybe if she's lucky enough, he'll drown.
The reason Stefyr gets rewarded with bananas is possibly because he helpfully nods along, agreeing with V'ayn when questioned, even though he has no context nor, likely, has any way of linking anything he has eaten directly to the baker. He'll still back him. This is what solidarity looks like. It's something the big blond might regret, if the observation about the banana didn't go right over his head. "What's indecent about bananas?" Speaking of the banana, he's turning it right back around, unbitten, for Risali. "I ate dinner. And dessert. And snack." So he doesn't actually need the banana. It probably means Stefyr would try whatever V'ayn brought him to eat with all the naivete of someone unfamiliar with hate-fire parties. It might even mean it doesn't really matter to him whether or not V'ayn is the better cook or Demetrius is, so long as both produce at least quasi-edible results. It might show he's beginning to know Risali a little bit, that he asks, "Was it his fault or your fault that you couldn't keep it— Risa!" SOLIDARITY. Or maybe it's just that the banana ends up in the pool. It's the banana he scoops out first; presumably V'ayn can take care of himself if he ended up in the water. If not, Stefyr would probably lend a hand, but that's not really a tunnelsnake nest he wants to stick his hand in. Slow learner, but learner.
"They were absolutely beautiful though, weren't they? Do you think that brute could have done the things that I did with those ingredients?" V'ayn basks in his ego for a few moments, especially given Stefyr's support. "Definitely not my fault." Sure. "That's what happens when you decide to have children nau—AH!" All of his narcissism is flushed away in an instant at the tug from Risali, and the baker teeters in that slow-mo kind of way before SPLASH. When he finally breaks the surface the man is spluttering and pushing back the hair from his eyes. "Hey, at least I said something. Every other person walking in here would just eye your bananas strangely from afar." Which is probably the better thing to do. There's a slight pause though when he realizes Stefyr doesn't get it and the baker's gaze settles on the gardener for a moment. "Well…you see…there are male humans and there are female humans and…" He's not serious is he? Hopefully he just stops there. Given V'ayn's expression though, he's quite entertained. "And surely Risali gets it so may be she can help you understand." Tag - you're it!
Risali's laughing the moment that V'ayn hits the water — still laughing, even, when Stefyr's use of her name draws grey eyes back to him even while a now water-logged bronzerider surfaces. "What?" comes with a raise of brows and too damn much mischief. "You want some of this too, Stefyr?" She's already HALFWAY TO HIM when V'ayn starts his tirade, and maybe that's why she's a little bit more forceful than strictly necessary when she's suddenly WET, SLIPPERY LIMBS and a TINY BODY that's lunging at Stefyr and clinging to him so that she can push his head underwater. Is it a mercy? IS IT JUST RISALI BEING RISALI? It's hard to say, because she's laughing again when she (immediately) lets go, allowing Stefyr to surface in his own time while she makes it back to V'ayn and gives him a backhanded THWACK to his upper arm. She's hiding her mouth behind her other hand, but that doesn't mean her laughter and that smile is any less obvious from between fingers or the creases around her eyes. "Stop it." There's no real heat, but YOU'RE GOING TO KILL THE POOR BOY. And then she's going to have paperwork.
Setting aside the fact that Stefyr has yet to exhibit any natural sense of self-preservation, he can probably be excused his complete lack of defense when Risali launches herself at him. It's better to go under, and maybe stay there as long as his face is scarlet, which it is by the time he gets dunked, and, unfortunately, still is when he comes back up, choking not water but the word, "Banana," with a groan of self-reproach. Apparently he didn't totally miss V'ayn's informative and brief lecture. It is to V'ayn that he addresses. "Hey, I'm new around here. Will I get kicked out of the Weyr for dunking the Weyrwoman?" He is moving toward her now, with ominously measured long strides, muscles rippling as he moves. They're ready to flex enough to exert himself to achieve this end.
"But it's so rare that we get someone so innocent. It's entertaining!" V'ayn tosses back his head, laughter escaping when his arm is swatted. He's totally not laughing at all the dunking, not at all! Quickly his gaze shifts towards Stefyr then and the baker immediately begins moving to the far end of the pool. "Not to my knowledge. So…3…2….1….FIGHT!" With each other. He is going to relax in the corner as a referee - some cookies would be perfect right about now!
Risali is laughing right up until there's a MUCH BIGGER MAN THAN HER (which is… pretty much all of them, but shut up) closing the gap between them. Then she's still laughing, but significantly less now as hands are thrown out in front of her and she hisses, "Traitor," to V'ayn, the Abandoner. "Stefyr, don't you dare," she tries in her BEST WARNING VOICE, which would be a lot more effective if she wasn't SMILING and swallowing down rogue bits of laughter. She's definitely trying to move away from him, taking her eyes off of him only long enough to glance at the wall or maybe keep her footing because LISTEN, SHE'S NOT GOT AS MUCH LEG TO STAND ON IN THESE WATERS as she goes in a circle. "I…" she will what. "I will make you regret it." … Still not nearly on mark to be taken serious. BUT SHE TRIES. "V'ayn is a better target anyway. He's…" Less suspecting? A giggle, one that she swallows by sucking her lips in between her teeth and letting them go again with a slow drag. "He's the one who made the bananas dirty." OKAY.
"That just makes him next," is an imitation of a growl, but given that Stefyr grins right after saying it, he is either terrible at being villainous or having too good a time not being prey for thirty seconds. As soon as he's close enough, he makes a fast grab for the goldrider, hindered only by his attempt not to touch any bits one wouldn't in company (okay, that Stefyr wouldn't touch in company), aiming to get her around the middle with one of his powerful arms so he can swing her around and push her into the middle of the pool - away from sharp edges and inadvertant murder of all kinds, not even drowning since he would, if successful, release her as soon as she's gone under. Only once he's made his attempt to dispatch her does he turn a very level stare on V'ayn. Will the bronzerider become his next target? Will he stop here? Choices, choices. He gets distracted after a moment by the soggy, partial banana that floats somewhere between them. Bananas.
"I did what now?" V'ayn who had nonchalantly taking to scrubbing at his arms with the sand pauses, eyes suddenly glancing at the two in alarm. "Look look look, I understand that you just have a pure love for bananas, alright? Just bananas. The fruit." And look HERE IS THE BANANA SAVIOR NOW. Please be distracted, Stefyr, please! There's quite the accusatory glance sent right back at Risali and a quick wrinkle of his nose, "Don't pin all your craziness on me!" Because he is like 0% crazy and had 0% to do with any of this current situation. He is just super cas taking a bath and stuff. Super. Cas. But he can't help but drift over to her side and drops his voice, "Does this mean the Weyr can just pay him in bananas though?" Economical!
"I did what now?" V'ayn who had nonchalantly taking to scrubbing at his arms with the sand pauses, eyes suddenly glancing at the two in alarm. "Look look look, I understand that you just have a pure love for bananas, alright? Just bananas. The fruit." And look HERE IS THE BANANA SAVIOR NOW. Please be distracted, Stefyr, please! There's quite the accusatory glance sent right back at Risali and a quick wrinkle of his nose, "Don't pin all your craziness on me!" Because he is like 0% crazy and had 0% to do with any of this current situation. He is just super cas taking a bath and stuff. Super. Cas. But he can't help but drift over to her side and drops his voice, "Does this mean the Weyr can just pay him in bananas though?" Economical!
DOWN SHE GOES! Amid many shriek-laughs and futile attempts at BREAKING AWAY, she goes under, and when she comes back up she's gasping for breath between more laughter. "STEFYR," she yells, splashing water at him and then leaning to hear what it is that V'ayn says to her. She dissolves into giggles again, because ABSOLUTELY. PAY HIM IN ALL MANNER OF BANANAS. "I think we should first solve the mystery of how you're going to escape. Double team him?" BECAUSE TWO AGAINST ONE IS DEFINITELY FAIR, RIGHT. But then… but then Risali's eyes are going faraway like she's just DEPARTED THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE FOR THE NEXT (jk, it's not that dramatic), and it MUST be serious if Risali's smile is not only crumbling, but Leirith isn't bespeaking the whole damn weyr. "Faranth," comes on a whisper, and there's a heartbeat of time between Risali catching V'ayn by one arm and Stefyr by the other, kissing each on the cheek before she's scrambling for the water's edge and pulling herself out of the pool. THANKFULLY SHE'S INDECENT FOR ABOUT AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO DRAW IN A BREATH, because she's wrapping her towel around herself and not bothering with clothes as she makes a careful-jog towards the exit. "Tell Garouth to get D'lei and tell him to get there now." It probably speaks to turns of conditioning that she doesn't just answer Leirith in her head. Or… maybe it's the panic urging her out. THERE'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE A FIGHT. And Risali? … She's clearly going to show up in style, because she doesn't even pause to grab her clothes on her way out of the door. GOOD LUCK, BOYS. YOU GOT THIS.
V'ayn gets his wish because Stefyr is definitely distracted. He must not always be dense because he does appear to pick up on the Weyrwoman's change of demeanor, even if he lacks a variety of knowledge to really fill in some of the blanks. It is enough to break the more lighthearted consideration of dunking V'ayn (for the moment), the blond man not blinking at the kiss on his cheek, but frowning after the goldrider as she goes. "Did she just leave in a towel?" He's just checking, V'ayn. That could be his imagination playing tricks on him again. Just in case the bronzerider needs clarification about the she, Stefyr's finger has risen to point after Risali. "Think she's okay?" Because he actually seems to care, at least a little. Then, just in case, as his hand falls and he looks back to the other man in the pool, "I like all fruit equally well. In case you ever make me something to eat. As long as it's not going to make me sick." These seem prudent caveats to add after the stories he's heard here tonight.
V'ayn offers a slight smile at the kiss to the cheek, but brows are once more knit when Risali looks serious as she leaves. "Well, she's Weyrwoman for a reason, I'm sure whatever it is she'll manage - and in a towel no less!" The baker chuckles quietly then, confirming exactly what Stefyr just saw. Now that THE STORM has passed, he leans back against a ledge and begins scrubbing at his arms and hair once more. "Me? Make people sick?" There's a flash of a grin from the baker before he shakes his head, "I would never." He would. He has. "But I'll certainly keep that in mind. I do tend to work with fruits fairly often." Though not as much with redfruit these past few turns.
"She is," Stefyr acknowledges and if he sounds just a little dubious or has that little line puckered between his brows as he glances one more time at the exit, it might not be a reflection of his opinions on why she's Weyrwoman. It's not really his business, though, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise when his shoulders lift and fall in a shrug and then he moves back toward where he started out. "Risa just said you did," Stefyr points out, although he looks persuadable, probably with bribes of food. "Still, I'd take just about anything made here over the nights back home when Cousin Meghee was on cooking duty. A man could break teeth on some of her fixings. Nothing I've had here even competes for worst I've eaten." Compliments to the chefs? And bakers, likely, if not high praises phrased that way. It's a clumsy compliment at best. "How long have you been a cook? And what is the difference between those icings you were listing before?" To his credit, the gardener looks genuinely interested in the topic, but then food is probably one of his favorite things.
"Risali misinterpreted what happened, and she was pregnant at the time so her taste buds were surely messed up." You hear that Risa? Definitely wasn't his fault at all. "I would certainly hope that our standards are higher than that. To be fair though, I only bake…I don't have any sort of hand in the cooking." The man dunks under the water briefly the rinse out his hair then promptly slicks it back when he re-emerges. Of course, poor Stefyr has now got him started on baking information and…oh Faranth. "There are a million difference," ok not really, "but mainly it's the purpose. Buttercream is there for taste. Sure you can use it for decorating but it simply doesn't hold the shapes that you'd want for intricate detail designs - and we typically don't use it to add to the flavor. Make sense? But that brute…he just slaps things on without even a thought."
Stefyr is really listening. Considering that he seems to be lounging, similar to how he was when all this started, he's giving V'ayn his undivided attention. His brows draw down a little, "I like baked things." Just in case the bronzerider needs more heavy handed hints that the gardener will accept ANY AND ALL donations of food. "Are… shapes important? Detail work?" He asks after a moment of thought that looks a little like it might be hurting him. He doesn't look hurt all the time when he thinks deeply, so it might just be the topic at hand. He's probably just too ill-bred to understand, let alone appreciate, V'ayn's aristry.
"Are shapes…are…." V'ayn pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a sigh, "You have been deprived of proper baked goods for most, if not all, of your life clearly." The man shakes his head before pointing to the exit, "Drop by the kitchens some time, our bakers will show you just how important decorations can be." RIP Stefyr - this can only go well. Though honestly, V'ayn seems perfectly happy to talk about baking. "With the right hands doing it, baked goods really can become art." Faranth, the EGO, there is so much of it in this room!
"I've had pie?" Does that help? Stefyr seems so deprived as to not even know his true deprivation. Poor man. Still, his ignorance has scored him a legitimate invitation to the kitchens to come learn (and learning will surely, surely include tasting, for how else is a man to learn?), so he's grinning when he settles his head back against the pillow of the towel on the edge of the pool. "I'll be sure to come by. Thank you." Manners, manners. "I'm Stefyr, by the way. A gardener." In case the bronzerider didn't pick up his name from Risali's uses of it.
V'ayn immediately freezes when he hears the term gardener and moments later V'ayn is perhaps too close. "Before you come to the kitchens you have to take a bath. Alright? You work in the outdoors, and that…greenhouse. Who knows what is in all those places!" Clearly no one has mentioned to Stefyr that V'ayn is a horrible horrible neat freak and generally quite scared of dirt. "As long as you are neat and clean that's fine though." Is this an overreaction? Yes. Yes it definitely is, but don't worry it'll be fine! Finally though there's a slight grin as the man moves to leave, "Don't forget." Cleanliness is next to….who knows!