Foodies

Writers: Aaron, Halyonix
Date Posted: 30th September 2024

Characters: Kailis, V'dryn
Description: A conversation about food
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 13, day 5 of Turn 11

Kailis

While they hadn't interacted much outside of Candidate classes, V'dryn couldn't help but be happy to see that Kailis had also Impressed. She was quite beautiful, with her light brown skin and intricate dark braids, and he did appreciate an intelligent mind behind the beauty.

He forced himself to sigh. No flirting until Zhomoth was old enough.

It was actually easier than he realized since Zhomoth demanded so much of his time with menial things like feeding and oiling. He barely had time to think! But there was always that moment of attraction whenever he saw her approach like she was doing now. "Good morning Kailis! I see we're all up early this morning. With no naps in our future," he greeted as jovially as he could, given that he felt tired.

"Hello," said Kailis. Ugh. This one sounded like he really enjoyed small talk. Everyone knew what time it was and how little sleep they would be getting. "What should I call you now?"

"V'dryn, please," he answered. "Zhomoth's rider. And your dragon is Chordath, if I recall correctly?"

"It's Chordath no matter how you recall, really," said Kailis. "But yes, you recall correctly."

V'dryn's eyebrow lifted inquisitively. Was that...a prim sharpness to her tone when she said that? Or had he imagined it? "Delighted to have it confirmed. It has been a whirlwind few days. Hard to know what I've missed in them." There was a thoughtful pause as V'dryn reviewed what he knew. "You arrived with the construction phase of Barrier Lake, if I also remember correctly. About the same time as I did."

"Yours seems a trustworthy memory," said Kailis. She eyed him sideways. "Is there something I can do for you?" Perhaps he simply enjoyed beating about the bush.

He paused for a moment, reviewing her tone and words in conjunction and then apart, and eventually, he decided that she wasn't not being rude so much as being direct. "Do for me, no. It occurs to me that over the next few months, we are going to be seeing each other more in class and I simply wish to get to know my classmates better. There always seems to be a fair crowd of Candidates -- far more than I'd like to remember some days -- but a weyrling class is a chosen group. I'd like to know the members of that group more."

"I see." Skepticism bled over into Kailis from Chordath. She could not put her fingerâ€" or, claw on it, but something seemed off with this one. "Well. What would you know?"

"I suppose we could start with the usual. Where did you come from before arriving here?" he suggested. "And how did you get conscribed into the Barrier Lake project?"

"I decided to come because I wanted to rejoin my father," said Kailis. "When my parents split, I lived with my mother at her hold."

There was no way he was going to ask about why her parents had split. He was going to stick to easy questions for now. "And your father does?"

Kailis knew what he meant, but just because she felt like he was interrogating her, she pretended to misunderstand him.

"No, he lives here."

That got her a long, considering pause. V'dryn fed Zhomoth a few more bites while he pondered what next to say. Eventually, as diplomatically as he could, he said, "I gather that you don't like small talk or people prying much, do you? I apologize."

And that for him a brief look of surprise. She was impressed. She never would have thought him the type to actually apologize. Chordath did not share her assessment. That is, she was not impressed.

"Thanks." Kailis wondered whether she had misjudged him. Chordath did not. "Tell me about him." She nodded to Zhomoth. "If you like."

Playfulness sparked in V'dryn's eyes. "Well," he said in his cultured tones, "we've only just met this sevenday but I can tell that he enjoys eating and napping. He seems to prefer the company of his green and blue clutchmates most. Beyond that, I haven't the slightest clue."

"Hm." Kailis stroked her chin and then touched Chordath. She did not feel as though there were any gap of knowledge between the two of them, that there was anything they did not know about each other. Or perhaps it was simply the case that every time she had wondered about something, Chordath had simply shown her the answer, and it seemed as though she had already known it. She would have to pay more attention to it.

"Eating and napping are certainly rather essential."

V'dryn continued with in his playful postulating. "While I am certainly not the best judge of character, I do believe he has his heart in the right place, even if he does ask a lot of questions about why this, why that. A learner, he is. As annoying as it is to have to answer all of those questions." That last part was said with an open grin, belying his words.

"Asking direct questions is the best way to learn what you want to know," said Kailis. Beating around the bush was insufferable and probably half the reason she had learned how to answer insufferable with insufferable of her own.

The blue weyrling inclined his head, quietly agreeing. "Indeed, a valid strategy to take. Well then. Tell us, Zhomoth, what do you like?"

Zhomoth blinked owlishly, looking at his rider, then Kailis, and then back to his rider. }: Whatever you like. I like that. :{ V'dryn burst out laughing.

He relayed Zhomoth's words to Kailis with the addition of, "I've heard from the Weyrlingmasters that they're often like that to start. It would be disastrous for them to pick someone that they'll fight with at all times, wouldn't it? So they pick a personality similar to their own."

"That does seem to match my experience," said Kailis. She felt much more like it was her and Chordath together against the world than it was ever her against Chordath.

"I'm certain that as he grows into himself, much like we do, he'll discover little things that he won't care for but I'll like. We can't all like pickles," V'dryn joked.

"Which is a shame, because pickles are amazing," said Kailis. She could probably eat a whole jar of them in one sitting by herself.

"Ah, which begs the question: bread and butter or spicy?" V'dryn asked.

"Oh, sour, of course," said Kailis. "The sweet ones are gross." And while a little spicy was not out of the question, most of the time, folks who made spicy pickles tended to overdo it as far as she was concerned.

His grin spread. "Have you ever paired a pickle with a fruit spread? On a bit of peppered meat?"

"I don't tend to pair them at all, really." It had never even occurred to Kailis that she should eat pickles _with_ something else.

V'dryn made an aghast sound. "You...are missing out! You should give it a try next time. You'd be surprised how well pickles pair with a great many foods you hadn't considered before." He grinned.

Kailis actually smiled back. V'dryn seemed much more... genuine than she had expected.

"Maybe I will." She definitely would not.

Since food seemed to be a relatively safe subject, V'dryn decided to venture another question within that topic. "Any other oddball foods that you find interesting that others dislike?"

"Oh, anything sour or salty." Kailis shrugged. "I had a cousin who loved nut butter and mustard on salted flatbread. But that was never one of my favorites."

V'dryn made a face. "That...does not sound appetizing. Mustard, I can do but not combined with nut butter. The best combination I've had with that was a dark klah paste with nut butter, but it was sweet, not sour or salty like you're seeking. Have you had that before?"

"I haven't had that, exactly. It sounds fancy, though. But I like sweet things as much as the next person," said Kailis. "The technicians here have been crazy about klah biscuits lately. But those are for eating _with_ klah. They don't necessarily taste like klah themselves. Have you had one?"

He shook his head. "The shortbread ones, right?" he asked.

"Hm, I'm not sure what to call them. They're a bit crispy on the outside, kinda chewy on the inside..." said Kailis. "Shortbread is good with klah, too, though."

"I don't believe I've had the ones you're describing yet," he answered. "If you hear about a batch, will you let me know?"

"Sure." He might even be the first one Kailis told. Perhaps apart from Ketlyn.

"On the subject of food, it seems we are about done here," he remarked, noting that Zhomoth was getting that sleepy look in his eyes that came with a full belly. "Come on Zhomoth. Let's get you settled in bed before class starts." He stood up to lead his dragon away but paused to smile politely at Kailis as he cleaned his hands off. "See you at class?"

"See you at class." Kailis returned the smileâ€" politely. It was a much less unpleasant conversation than she had expected it would be, in the end.

Last updated on the October 10th 2024

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