Makin' Bacon (Open)

[Aftershock]

Cainith carefully maneuvered his massive frame around the various counters and tables in the kitchens, trying to not get in the way of the other cooking drudges too much. Stopping at a flour-covered countertop, he dropped the large wad of dough he was carrying onto the flat surface, then grabbed a large cylinder of wood that appeared to be a rolling pin custom-made for him, apparently from an entire sanded and smoothed tree trunk.

Smashing the dough flat with a couple rolls of his massive rolling pin, Cainith put the pin aside, and grabbed a knife, the blade looking like a pen-knife in his hands. Bending over, he carefully cut the flat dough into squares, then stood straight and leaned back, pressing one fist into the small of his back in the process. "Damned counters are so low... being this large is never the benefit people make it out to be," he grumbled to himself as he stretched out his back muscles, placing the knife carefully back down after finishing his exercise.

Grabbing a large serving bowl in one palm, he began to pinch out chunks of the meat he had ground earlier, pressing the pinches into the center of each dough square, counting them as he went. "...23... 24... 25... There, that should make up for the 15 I ate yesterday by myself... and the entire chicken..." he thought to himself, placing the now-empty bowl down and folding the dough squares shut around the pinches of meat... pinches to him, handfuls to normal people.

Finishing his task, he turned to grab a steel tray to place the unbaked meatrolls on in order to place them in the oven, and nearly knocked over a small woman carrying a tray of cut vegetables, the fear in her eyes as the gigantic man wheeled in her direction to grab her evident as he reached out to steady her and save the food from an early death on the floor...

[Ivy]

It wasn't unusual to find Ivy in the kitchens when she wasn't doing chores - though today she was doing chores. Or rather finishing them up. Wiping her right arm across her brow she toweled her hands off as she sat the last dish aside to dry. There, she'd finished the dishes she'd been given to wash and now she was free to do as she pleased, for awhile at least.

Instead of ducking out of the kitchens she decided to slip over and grab a cup of fresh klah. The stuff they sat out for the dining room had been there for at least a full candlemark and she wasn't a fan of the bitter taste it left in her mouth when it was stale. So the redhead zig-zagged her way across the kitchens avoiding knocking into everyone. Just as she reached her goal the Headwoman barked her name and shoved a tray of vegetables at her.

The small frown that flitted across her face did not last long before she smiled and nodded. Of course she'd take these over to the cook who needed them. She'd be happy to. Shards, she couldn't wait to Impress and be done with such chores! Still she smiled and turned on her heel, walking away from the delicious drink she had been after to take the tray to its destination. Unfortunately it seemed someone had built a wall right in the middle of the kitchen, or at least that was the first thought she had when she ran into Cainith. A sharp gasp came from the woman - who was at least a foot and a half shorter than the man before her - and she nearly fell over. He grabbed onto her though and saved her, and the food, from tumbling to the floor.

Face flushed as she looked up at him, and it took her a few minutes to find her voice. "I... I'm sorry. I... didn't... see you?"

Even as she said it - true as it was since she hadn't seen him before running into him - she knew it sounded silly. How could she have missed that? It wasn't as if he really blended in with the rest of the drudges in the kitchen.

[Aftershock]

Cainith barked out in mirth at the buxom redhead's comment, saying, "It's not often anyone doesn't see me." Clearing his throat and wiping the smile from his face (mostly), he continued, "It was my fault, though. When you're my size, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Perhaps I should wear a large bell that jingles when I back up?" The mental image turned the controlled smirk back into uproarious laughter, and he clapped a hand on Ivy's back, creating a cloud of flour from his still flour-dusted palm as it nearly knocked the woman over again, forwards this time, and Cainith had to scramble to save her and the tray of vegetables from yet another ignominious tumble.

Settling the woman back on her feet carefully, he tried (and failed) to keep the smirk from his face as he noted the fact that her clothing and hair were now covered in a fine layer of flour, and an overly large handprint of flour covered the upper half of her back and shoulders. "Would you like me to take the tray for you, babe? I could make it across this kitchen easier than you, most likely. People tend to get out of my way, for some reason," he concluded, his smirk growing.

[Ivy]

Ivy continued to look up at him - he was interesting. He was definitely the largest person she'd ever seen. Interesting indeed. She decided he had a decent smile and his laugh was hearty - she enjoyed the sound. Smiling up at him, the smile disappeared when he clapped her back and almost sent her tumbling forward. Honestly, he was determined to knock her over it seemed.

Yet again he rescued her, though he left her coated in flour and at this she frowned. Eyebrow arched when he called her 'babe', but she nodded at his offer. "Sure, if you'd like. I was just going to take it over to the cook with the big pot. Don't eat it though, the Headwoman would have my head if it all went missing." Her tone was soft and playful, she obviously hadn't meant to insult him in any way with her teasing.

"I'm Ivy by the way, I don't think we've met." She offered a friendly smile, despite the fact he'd almost landed her on her arse twice and covered her in flour. Eros popped in above her head and gave a squawk when he landed on her shoulder before taking off again. She was dirty, why hadn't she warned him? Now he would need to go clean off, oh the horror. From above her head, just about eye level with the large man, Eros tilted his head and did a quick circle in the air as if to show off. Then he was gone again and Ivy rolled her eyes, "That was Eros. He thinks he's princely or something, hates being dirty or doing anything on his own. I'm surprised he didn't nip me until I bathed him." She ended with a giggle, "And your name is?"

[Aftershock]

As Ivy introduced himself, Cainith finished retrieving the tray he was originally going for when he met Ivy... or should he say, when Ivy met his back. "Ivy, eh?" he responded to her greeting, transferring the unbaked meatrolls onto the tray as he spoke, "I think I've seen you in the barracks. I'm Cainith. You're a Candidate as well, aren't you?" Cainith couldn't help but become a bit intrigued in this small Southern woman as she spoke to him, a liveliness to her tone and expression emerging now that she was over the shock of their initial encounter. So very unlike the generally downtrodden and dead-eyed Northern women he usually encountered while growing up... and she seemed to be friendly towards him without even seeming to want anything from him. Curiouser and curiouser. As Ivy's flit circled his head, he chortled from deep within his barrel chest, saying, "Eros, eh? Intriguing name. I hope his owner is not nearly as prissy as he."

Taking the tray of unbaked meatrolls in one hand, and accepting the tray of vegetables in his other, both trays wielded more like dinner plates in his grip, he laughed again when Ivy asked him not to eat the vegetables on the way to delivering them, responding, "Well, I've got no hands free, so I would have to eat them with my mouth, and then I'd leave lip marks on the tray, which would point the finger right at me, so no worries there." Before turning to drop off his burdens, he added, "Oh, and I apologize for the flour dusting... perhaps I can help you clean up later?" Realizing what he just implied, he cleared his throat roughly and quickly added, "Er, that is, it was very nice talking to you. I hope to see you around the Candidate barracks later, perhaps?" He was sure that seeing such a giant of a man so flustered was terribly amusing to the flour-covered young woman, but he had already put his large foot in his equally large mouth, so nothing to do now but try to get past it.

[Ivy]

Smiling she gave a curious expression when he shared his name, the expression becoming even more curious when he implied he was a Candidate too. "Yes, I am a Candidate... Forgive me for asking, but how old are you?"

Surely he was too old to be a Candidate too. Shaking her head a bit she added, "And I'd like to think Eros and I are nothing alike."

He took the tray and she began to dust the flour off of herself a bit, blushing at his offer then giggling as she saw how flustered he was over it. Clearly he'd said what he was thinking, but not what he'd meant to say. "Well I've never turned down an offer of help." She winked a bit but then, "Although you too are covered in flour, so I don't think you could be any help cleaning me up - only getting me messier."

Blue eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief as she looked up at him, her smile widening. "I should let you get back to your cooking though."

[Aftershock]

At Ivy's question, Cainith sighed a bit, replying, "30 turns. Yes, it's true, I've been a Candidate longer than some Candidates have been alive. I aged out of Impressing a dragon while at Benden Weyr, and since, if you didn't know, the North does not have whers like you do here, I was stuck for a time. Since I've come down here, and the Wasteland has integrated with Selenitas, however, I could not pass up the opportunity to get one last chance at Impressing."

When Ivy did not seem offended by his faux pas, he regained his grin, his white teeth visible through his beard like a half-moon in a night sky. "Well, who's to say we cannot get clean together," he offered. "If you are interested, I will be attending the communal baths to clean myself up after I finish my baking, probably in about 30 candlemarks. If you are interested in having someone to scrub your back, perhaps I will see you there. Else, see you in lessons," he finished, a slightly lavicious turn to his smile and a mischevious sparkle in his eyes to match the one in Ivy's.

[Ivy]

"Whers? Ah, that makes more sense then." Ivy offered with a smile, which diminished slightly, "I may be up for a wher if I cannot Impress this turn... Though I myself am not a fan of them. Dragons are much more elegant in my opinion."

Head tilted slightly to the right as he spoke of coming from the North and then she shrunk back slightly, "Wasteland?"

Face flushed as she thought back to all the trouble the sharding Wastelanders had brought to Selenitas. A flash in her mind of the last clutch, of what they did to the 'unfit' dragonets and she took another step back. While the larger man seemed nice enough and was interesting... nothing good came from the Wastelanders in her experiences.

A curt nod and a forced smile, "Lessons it is then. Have a good eve, Cainith."

Turning quickly she side stepped around a drudge taking empty trays to the sink and in a few moments she had exited out of one of the back entrances, her hair giving a flip behind her as she disappeared outside.

[Aftershock]

A bit stunned by the girl's sudden change in attitude at the mention of him being from Wasteland Weyr, Cainith could not think of a response until the redhead had disappeared out of the kitchen. Chewing his moustache a bit in thought, he wondered to himself, "Why did the mention of my origins cause her such consternation? She seemed so friendly a moment earlier, I really thought I was making progress... I need to find out what is going on."

Nodding to himself decisively, he proceeded to head in the direction of the cook who needed the vegetables and the ovens to bake his meatrolls, his head filled with ideas on how to approach Ivy without another incident.