Prep for the Feast (Liv)

[E]

Wisthia let out a laugh as Sarias exclaimed her excitement over the hatching, which the headcook had been informed would be at any moment these next two days. The cook herself had been surprised to realize how little time she had to prepare for the hatching feast – having lived in holds all her life she had forgotten how much food would be expected. Well, by the egg, she knew she’d have to meet up to par anyways.

It was early, well before dawn, as the mother and daughter came into the kitchens and pulled down the wooden box that was Wisthia’s prized possession. Opening it revealed what looked to be thousands of little pieces of scrap parchment and hides that the woman had managed to put together over her years. Upon each piece was anywhere between one and three recipes written in her own hand in attempt to keep even the least used ones available to her and her sometimes forgetful memory.

Pushing the box to her daughter, the older woman rolled up her sleeves and pinned her short hair up so it would not get in the way. She had asked the candidate master to send over a young lady – hopefully one who had cooking experience and was good with details – to help this morning. She was surprised that she had to reassure the man that the candidate would, of course, be let go at first sign that the hatching had begun. Even so, she wanted to get a start on the sweets now with a personal assistant. The other cooks would be able to handle the main courses well enough – those would be prepped this morning and started as soon as the hatching did. Wisthia refused to think of any food being made beforehand and reheated. It never tasted as wonderful the time before.

“Make sure that you chose desserts that can be stored and don’t need to be heated – besides the bubbly pies of course, but those can be prepped and stored. Also, keep the main course special, but very prep-able. Understand?”

“Of course mother.” The thirteen turn old girl said from upon the stool she had pulled up to dig through the recipes. The girl had pretty much grown in the kitchens with her mother and knew the recipes as well as Wisthia. Already having a plan in mind, she started pulling out pieces of hide and parchment.

Washing her hands, the woman began running through her mind the basic ingredients she would need to pull out for the day.

[Zenniel]

It was a couple sevendays after Liv’s run-in with the main hallway’s floor. Her skin was all but healed on her knees, but her hands were still chalked up with scars. Live wondered if her skin would ever be clear again—or if her skin would be at least semi-clear. She realized, however, that she’d always have scars if not only on her hands, but on her knees, too.

She had woken up early this morning, but waking up early didn’t mean much .

It wasn’t enough that she had gotten up early and had finished most of her chores, but now the Candidate Master was telling her to go help some cook lady. Live wondered how she could continue like this if the days before all Hatchings were like this. However, if she Impressed this Hatching, then she wouldn’t have to worry about this many chores again.

Live had just entered the Candidate Master’s ‘office’ when the Master waved her forward, “Live, you’re just the person I wanted to see.”

Live put on a questioning look, “Yes, sir? What do you need me for?” But on the inside she was groaning, ‘no more chores!’

The Candidate Master did not tell her to do any chores, in fact he just told her to go down to the kitchens. He said the head cook needed some help. Well, Live could do kitchens, and she could do cooking. She bowed to the Master, and headed to the kitchens. When she got there, she stopped in slight surprise. “Miss? I know you, you’re one of the ones that helped me when I seriously skinned my knees and hands.” Live said, bowing a bit like a good candidate should have. “I don’t think I thanked you enough.”

Live quickly busied herself with washing her hands. “What do you need me to do, Miss?” She asked, drying her hands, “I’m a pretty good cook, so my thanks to you will be helping you, even if the Candidate Master told me to help you.” She smiled wryly, “I don’t think we’ve properly met. I’m Live.” But she didn’t extend her hand because, just because they’d both washed their hands didn’t mean the germs were all gone.

[E]

Wisthia turned at the sound of a voice entering the kitchens so early and her eyes lit up, sparkling with recognition as she remembered the candidate who had been sent to help. A broad smile spreading her lips, Wisthia dried her hands. “Oh don’t think anything of it dear.”

Listening to the name, she nodded, her smile never fading. “Its wonderful to be able to put a name with a face Live. I’m Wisthia, and you can call me exactly that. None of this ‘miss’ nonsense or ‘headcook’ or ‘ma’am’. It’s all rather silly if we are working side by side.”

The tone of her voice, while it had already been cheerful, brightened drastically as she heard the girl mention being a good cook. “Oh wonderful! Your exactly what I’ve been hoping for then. Fetch the mixing bowls off that shelf over yonder and I’ll go start grabbing ingredients. Sarias is picking out recipes, but we can get started preparing the bubbly pies. No occasion is special without the classics.”

Giving a wink to the younger woman, she disappeared into the pantry before returning with her arms full of various containers. Setting them down on the counter where they would have a corner of the kitchen to themselves, she took a moment to direct a few other cooks who had come in to start setting the tubers and cutting the greens. Returning, she turned to Live again.

“So, crusts or filling? We can split them up that way and get all of the mixing done at once.”

[Zenniel]

(( Sorry it's not very long. I wrote it out on paper and it seemed a lot longer there. ))

Live smiled as the woman’s face brightened. Of course she could cook, though she couldn’t say she was the best—not even close to it. However, she could help, and she could make a mean pasta dish—not like pasta took much to make anyway.

While the head cook turned to tell the other cooks what to do, Live obediently gathered the mixing bowls. Live had always wanted to make bubbly pies; she’d never made them, but she’d seen them made before. “I can help, ma—I mean Wisthia, but I’ve never made bubbly pies. However, I can make the crusts, that much I do know how to do.”

Live had watched the others make bubbly pies a lot of times, and so knew the ingredients. She gathered them quickly, and when she had situated them to her liking, she looked up at Wisthia, “Ho many? Weyr-sized batches, or should I make enough batter for two Weyrs?”

[E]

Double checking the candidates ingredients, Wisthia nodded to herself. She looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered just what flavor the bubbly pies were going to be. The traditional was made from the blue pebble fruit (blueberries!) so that was defiantly a must, but Wisthia was not one to be satisfied with just the traditional when it came to desserts.

When the question came to the size of the batch, she came back to herself and looked at the girl wide eyed. It was not a look of surprise she gave the girl but one of inexperienced frustration.

“Now you see, you hit the nail right on the head there. I’ve been cooking for this Weyr for almost three seasons now, and to be truthful, usually half a Weyr batch is enough to minimize left overs while still letting the riders eat to their content since we are only a few wings large. The real problem is that the number of candidates has gone up considerably the last few days AND it was not until last night the headwoman mentioned guests. I’m not entirely sure how many I am to be expecting.”

Giving a little sigh, she put one hand on her hip while she leaned against the other as it rested on the counter, tapping her fingertips. Thoughtful for a moment again, she finally nodded once more.

“Let’s do a batch and a half. I have never been to a hatching, but I can not imagine the Weyr inviting the entire Star Hold and doubling its population. Even so, I do not want to come up short and we also have to consider that the children will go with far less surveillance and we all know how much of a magnet the bubbly pies are for children.”

Finishing off her comment with a wink to Live and a sparkle in her own eyes, Wisthia then wandered back into the storage cave nearby and came back with a large bowl of the blue pebble fruit which she began washing them to remove any dust that may have fallen on them since they had been picked yesterday.

[Zenniel]

Live nodded when Wisthia talked about how much she should make. She had known, right after she had asked the question, that two Weyr-sized batches would have been too much. She had already started mixing the batter before Wisthia stopped. Liv, her arms already white with Pern’s equivalent of flour, smiled as she looked up from her work. “Oh, yes, Wisthia. I still call myself a child sometimes, and even times when I feel the most mature, any bubbly pie could bring me back to childhood.”

She had just gotten to the most interesting part of mixing the ingredients when a young girl came in. “L-l-live?” She called. Live looked up, “That is me.” The girl smiled tentatively, “I am Zenniel, sent by the C-candidate Master. He believes the Hatching is i-imminent, and is sorry he sent you to help the head cook when the Hatching was nigh.” Live didn’t really think this was true, she thought the girl was making it up—because the Candidate Master had been serious when he told her to go help Wisthia. The girl turned to Wisthia, “I-I am terribly sorry, ma’am.” And then she left.

Live gave Wisthia a glance. “Oh, and we could have had such a great conversation!” Then she glanced down at her clothes—they were already all white. Live laughed; though Live always felt emotions, Live rarely showed emotions, so laughing was rare. “I’m all messy. I bet if I went down there now, people could mistake this for a white Candidate’s robe!” She shook some flour off her arms. “Sorry, Wisthia, but if the Hatching is coming, I’d better get ready.” She bowed to the older woman, her face again looking innocent. “I shall see you again, whether I Impress or not, I promise.” She smiled a small smile, and exited the Weyrhall to her rooms.

If the Hatching was, indeed, imminent, then Live would have to bathe herself before showing up in front of the dragons. She wanted to look her best.

[E]

Sarias clapped her hands together, her eyes wide with excitement that matched her 10-turn old appearance. This was the first hatching at Nova Weyr and like any Weyrbrat, she was excited even though she was not old enough to stand.

“Oh go, go! And good luck!” She pipped from her stool. “And make sure you come back to tell us how it goes!”

Wisthia smiled. It was a mixed smile – part pure joy and excitement for Live, part pained regret for her daughters part. But even so, the glimmer of regret was quickly wiped away as she fanned a towel at the candidate.

“My daughter is absolutely right! Get out of here and to the sands at once! Shoo Shoo, and make us proud!”



[[End Of Thread]]