Soup? (Candidate chores)

[Rei]

Chop this, carry that. What was with these drudges anyway? Sure they were short handed but they didn’t have to push him like a pack animal. Danar sat in a chair for a bit of a respite. These drudges were insane. Hero chirped an agreement from the lads shoulder and Danar stroked the bronze affectionately. “Yeah. I’m hungry to. What you say we take a quick break and get some lunch?” The bronze flit gave a happy warble and the lad smiled broadly at his little pet. The thing was a bottomless pit. “Wonder who else got saddled with kitchen chores.” He took a look around the depressingly empty kitchens. So many had fallen ill. The headwoman was freaking out over the loss of precious resources.

Danar stood and stretched before making his way to the chopping station. He hacked off a few chunks of meat to feed the flit. He was careful to avoid detection. The last thing he wanted was to get scolded for feeding the bronze good meat. The candidate idly wondered what was for dinner tonight. It seemed like lately all they were having was soup.

[ladybug]

Burena was at the counter, industriously chopping vegetables. She didn't mind kitchen chores. She got to hear all the gossip from the cooks and drudges, and she already knew how to do all the work here. She needed to help out a lot back at the Hold in the kitchen, so she was used to it.

Doc was on her shoulder, attempting to nap but waking every few seconds because of the movement. When he smelled meat, he perked up. Chirping, he directed Burena's attention to Danar and his bronze.

"Hey...shouldn't you be working?" Burena asked. Her smile showed that she wasn't serious at all. She had a baby flitt too, and understood how often they needed to be fed.

[Rei]

Danar raised his head as a feminine voice addressed him. “Yeah but the little bottomless pit has to eat surely you won’t tell on us?” The candidate put a fake pout on his face and laughed. Hero chirped and winged over to Burena. The bronze settled close to her and nosed a piece of meat over towards her shoulder, obviously a offering for her flit.

Danar laughed. “Hero likes to make friends. What’s your flitters name?” He smiled at the girl. “I think they hatched from the same clutch.” The burly lad moved closer to Burena and sat down. Picking up a knife he began to chop with her. Had she been male he would have been more reserved, unless he knew her, but being female she deserved respect. “Don’t know about you but I’m getting kind of sick of soup. Guess they are just making due with what supplies we have left over from the cull.”

[ladybug]

Burena laughed along with Danar. Normally, she would have taken that moment to say something flirtatious, but she had seen Danar spending a lot of time with Pasine, and she didn't want to interfere. Men taken by friends were the only ones Burena considered off limits.

When the bronze settled nearby, Burena gave him a good scratch on the eye ridges. Doc jumped off her shoulder and grabbed the piece of meat, chirping his thanks to Hero. "Looks like mine is hungry, too, no surprise there. His name is Doc." She picked up the knife and started chopping again, not wanting to get in trouble for chatting and not working.

She made a face when Danar mentioned the soup. "Yeah, me too. I'd rather eat soup than risk being poisoned, though," she said matter-of-factly.

[Rei]

Hero hummed happily as Burena scratched him. The little bronze tilted his head to allow her to more easily reach a particularly itchy spot. That completed he turned his attention to Doc. Hero fluttered his wings and chirped a welcome before launching off the table and winging back over to his. Alighting on Danar’s shoulder he rubbed his bronze head against the lads jawbone and gave a adoring croon. The candidate wordlessly handed the flitter another chunk of meat, which the flit gladly devoured.

“Doc’s a pretty good name. Yeah guess it is better than being poisoned. Hopefully we will be getting better supplies in soon. I heard from a reliable source that they are going to be making gathering groups so we can restore our stocks from the jungle. I wonder why they haven’t done it before. Really we could rely on the jungle and have no need for tithes. If we are smart about it that is.” The candidate trailed off as he began to cut up some withered looking vegetables. Unappetizing.