This time, people won't talk.
RL Date: 7/25/09
IC Date: 4/18/20
Kitchen, Fort Weyr
Fort's kitchens are both immense and well-appointed, which ensures that the kitchen staff is able to feed the Weyr's populace as efficiently as possible. The counters are carved out of the native granite, smoothed and polished through turns of use; there are several stoves and ovens placed along the walls, leaving plenty of room for various cooks to do their job and not be tripping over their fellows. Any ingredients or tools they may need can be found in drawers and cabinets, either within arm's reach or within reach of drudges. Hanging from the ceiling and on hooks on the wall are copper utensils, pots, and pans, all quite well-worn, but still serviceable.
In the middle of this room are a couple of 'islands', composed of wood and with marble countertops, to allow assistants to prepare things and not need to get in the way of the cooks using the main counters. Dumb waiters are located out of the way, but still convenient for getting food down to the living cavern, rather than needing to send people down the stairs. Despite the constant motion and activity -- which slows only at night, but never fully ceases -- everything is meticulously kept clean, from top to bottom.
All around, the kitchens hurry through getting lunch out to the masses gathering in the caverns, people scurrying up and down steps carrying steaming things, crisp things, cold things, soupy things, sandwichy things. "Nooooo no no," sings Jaeyi in the midst of this, scraping squares of cornbread out of a baking dish and onto a serving dish with deft slides of her spatula, setting aside a few of the middle pieces on a plate next to her. "I am quite done for the afternoon. Once this goes out, I am going to go and wilt somewhere." Which of course prompts the serving boy to promise to come and revive her, but she shoos him away to wipe her forehead with the back of her wrist, to exhale as her part in the madness concludes for now.
Kwei enters the kitchens at probably one of the worst points of the day possibly. Staying out of the way the pint sized Harper is well suited to keeping in the background until he sees his opening and slips forward. "How about I steal you away for a walk or the chance to flop somewhere for a while." He offers as he sidles up to stand beside Jaeyi. "You do look like you need a break away from here."
For all she truly looks ready to wilt, Jaeyi laughs brightly, merrily, "I need a month away from here, little harper, but that's harder to come by than a lunch break." Shedding her apron, finding time in the middle of it first to smile down at Kwei and then to issue an abbreviated warning while an assistant scurries behind him with a tray full of dirty silverware, she reaches to the cornbread plate with an inviting, "Steal me away, my hero. But let me get some milk first? Do you want some lunch besides cornbread? There's stew to go with it..." Somewhere, she can't quite find it with her eyes at the moment.
Kwei offers up one of his more charming smiles for her as he steps forward, towards her, out of the way of the assistant. "Your Hero is here to save his beautiful baker." He grins and glances round. "It could be nice, I know where the milk is, I can get that bit." He informs her, turning away as soon as he's finished speaking, ducking his way through the kitchens to collect a bottle or jug and a couple of mugs or glasses, whatever he finds first.
Leaving Jaeyi with the task of getting a tray, of finding some of the stew still on the warmers rather than out in the caverns. Napkins, silverware, a bowl of early strawberries, nothing terribly fancy but it takes all of five minutes for her to collect a fair lunch. "I'm afraid," she confesses upon his return, "that lunch in the cavern will wind up with me cajoled into covering someone's shift. Shall we hide in the stores? There's an old sofa in there, smells like dust but it hasn't got any spiders living in it." Big selling point!
Kwei comes back with his small collection and nods his head. "Sounds like a plan, if I've managed to snag you for lunch I don't want to see you disappearing until it's time." He explains with a wink, waving the pitcher of milk off towards the door of the cavern. "Lead the way to the crawler free couch my darling." He tells her with a laugh. "I'm glad, it'd be bad if I was shown up for that one."
"Afraid of spiders, are you?" Jaeyi manages the tray well, only has to half-spin once to avoid getting trampled by someone who has more pressing business and a bigger tray than hers, letting him pass with a quick crinkle of her nose to acknowledge the charm behind his apologetic smile. "I imagine you have reason to be. There must be some out there bigger than you are!" she bubbles cheerfully, leads through the nearest portions of the stores, those that really belong to the kitchens specifically and not just the general mish-mash of caverns stuff. She glances up at a few top-shelves in passing, but continues with unbroken steps leading in among the old furniture. There, as promised, is one old paisley sofa with a new-looking afghan thrown over one end. This is not the first time she's lunched here, obviously.
Kwei doesn't answer immediately, he's too busy following Jaeyi out and enjoying the swaying view while he can before he catches up once there's enough space to walk alongside. "I'll settle at, they're not my favourite." He tells her. "They tend to creep out and give me a fright, and I jump easily if caught unawares." He eyes her, suddenly wondering if that was a bad notion to have voiced. "Oh this is nice and cosy,. Not quite ass cosy as some places, but it'll certainly do as a retreat." He kneels down to place the glasses down and pours the milk. "So do you come here often?" The smirk on his face so innocent.
Jaeyi, being a girl, can admit shamelessly, "I'm afraid of them. Creepy crawly things." Putting the tray on one cushion, she reaches with her now free hand to simulate a bit of that creepy-crawly from his upper arm, across his shoulder, over the back of his neck, and across the other shoulder. The gesture follows to send her to a teetery table nearby, which she draws to the arm of the sofa and transfers the tray to that, meets his smirk before straightening back up, intentionally looking through the fringe of lashes and the fall of hair. "Not for the reasons you're thinking. It's quiet, and I can eat my lunch and work or read my letters without being bothered. Orrrrrr I can abscond with charming little harpers and no one has to know." She beams, she flops into the corner of the sofa gracelessly.
Kwei would like to think himself a manly man, but lets face it he's far from it, charm has more to do with his survival than his dealings with animals and the like. He does actually shiver a little as her fingers creep over him, it's not quite the delightful shiver she may have been looking for, the thought of a crawler is too much for that. "Well I do like it." He explains, shifting the glasses onto the table and moves himself to sit on the edge of the sofa for the moment. "I like absconding, especially with you, it's always fun conversations." He smiles over at her, "So what shall it be today?"
"Then you may come here whenever you like," offers Jaeyi graciously, hands over the stew with one of the squares of cornbread perched on the rim of the bowl, the spoon threatening to slide down the other edge. "But you're not allowed to bring other girls, or else I will infest it with spiders and they'll crawl all over you at the worst possible moment." Another creep with her fingers, this time on the outside of his leg, before she reaches for her own square of bread and cup of milk. "Mmn, what's on your mind today? Let's start with that and see where it takes us."
Kwei smiles and nods his head. "I'm sure it's a place I could come and just hide away to think for a while, nice and quiet, something I've missed with the weather the way it has been, I usually would just go for a long walk, least the weather is better now." He adds, pausing to get some of the stew into him. "I'll keep it to just you and me then, no one else gets o know." He promises her with a smile. "Oh I don't know, I think I'm still worrying about my exams a little, that and a touch jealous of you."
Jaeyi brought no stew for herself, but the plan was to sink the cornbread into the milk, and she does so with interest, squishing it with her spoon into the bottom of her cup. "It isn't too terrible right now, taking a walk. I have to wear a coat, but I haven't managed to catch some terrible deadly cold out there yet, sooooo. As long as it's not raining, you could probably get some time outdoors?" She's just started to pry out a bite of soggy cornbread when his last words draw her up, blinking; "Jealous why? Because I don't have to take exams like yours?"
Kwei digs into the stew, hunger is a good thing sometimes and now is no exception. "It is getting better." He admits. "But a couple of months ago I could have done with somewhere really quiet." About the time that a certain incident with him and his now ex-girlfriend occurred. "Yeah, you don't seem to have any of the boring theory work I have to contend with." He explains with a smile for her.:digs into the stew, hunger is a good thing sometimes and now is no exception. "It is getting better." He admits. "But a couple of months ago I could have done with somewhere really quiet." About the time that a certain incident with him and his now ex-girlfriend occurred. "Yeah, you don't seem to have any of the boring theory work I have to contend with." He explains with a smile for her.
"A couple of months ago, somewhere really quiet would only have meant you were all alone with your thoughts. And you need friends when times are hard." Jaeyi says this sagely, nods seriously, which looks fairly comical since it dislodges the bite of cornbread and sends it plopping back into her cup. She pouts at the failure a second, going on to counter his theory with, "Ahhhhh, but you don't have to put on ever-so-demure yellow party dresses in order to make the right impression. I'm going there to make a cake, but it's somehow very important that I present myself with girlish passivity." Hopefully, she won't roll her eyes like that when the time comes.
"I'm sure one of my friends would have found me and consoled me in my grief." Kwei replies with a faint smile. "How quickly it would have brought me out of things is up for debate, but not worth the effort now." He continues digging into his stew, which disappears quickly given he grew up with as many siblings as he did. "I don't know, demure works sometimes and I'm sure you could still look seductively spectacular if you needed to, even in a demure yellow party dress." He grins and settles his bowl down, leaning back into the couch. "Though keeping it demure would be better for your chances."
Before she gets around to beaming at the praise, Jaeyi points out, "It's stupid, though. My journeyman said nothing about what kind of cake to make, or how it ought to be decorated, but he hand-picked the party dress?" She holds a look up at Kwei, expecting he'll see the ridiculousness of the situation before she has to point it out further. There, the compliment lands and, putting away her own cup, she means to curl cozily against Kwei now that he's settled back. "I'm sure that I should be grateful for the opportunity and everything, but my vanity much prefers the way certain people look at me in things other than demure yellow party dresses."
Kwei shifts his arm to let her cuddle in, the arm dropping back down to wrap around her once she's settled. "got to be said If I was choosing a dress for you, it wouldn't be demure, unless I was introducing you to my mam." He replies with a bit of a laugh. "But I'm pretty sure you can make any cake look and taste delicious, the demure dress is to make sure they're paying attention to the cake rather than you're other ever so delightful charms." He glances down at her. "Which you don't want distracting them from what you're trying to impress them with."
"Welllll, now I have a dress suitable for meeting people's mothers, hmn?" Jaeyi, comfy, leans her head toward Kwei's chin, her arm crossed over him so her fingers hang loosely off his other shoulder. "I know," she continues after him. "I know, it's all for my own good and the benefit of my career and whatever and so on. I am excited, regardless of the party dress, just..." She shrugs helplessly, leaves it at that. "I haven't been to a wedding since I'm a little girl. Have you? Probably comes up more in your line of work."
Kwei nods his head, "You need to settle on the right man before you start on that one though." He replies with a smile as he gives her a light squeeze, getting himself just as comfortable. "Weddings, a few of them, but usually it's the Harpers from the hall and the holds who get those gigs, not quite so much call for it within the weyr." He pauses, his hand rubbing comfortingly against her arm, "You okay with what your doing for this?"
Jaeyi smiles emptily for a moment, an expression that ends with a little sigh turned against Kwei's throat, placid. "I think it's going to be a fairly big wedding. Some time, when I get very famous and people vie for my cakes, I'll make it all part of the deal that I only work if my favoritest harper is there performing." The sparkly, beamy smile is pretty clear by the plumping of her cheeks even if the expression itself is lost in their current arrangement. "Am I okay with making a wedding cake, you mean? Of course. I'm happy to have the chance."
Kwei nods his head a little as she speaks, dropping a light kiss against her forehead, it should be about the right place. "I could cope with that, party planning the Fort way." He chuckles and gives her an affectionate squeeze. "They're bigger than you usually make for round here, but at the end of the day its' still a cake and that's very much within your capabilities, If you need a hand with thinking about decorations, let me know and we can go over some of the ones I can remember."
"If I'm going to make a career out of it, I might as well spread the wealth, hmmn? I know a vintner and a harper, between the three of us, we could feed, entertain, and intoxicate party after party after party." In the pause that follows, after the faint nod to acknowledge his offer to go over designs, Jaeyi leans away just a moment till she can tilt a very merry look up at him. "You're offering to help me practice cake decorating? Because I don't think that means what you think that means."
Kwei grins and adds. "And a weaver to make their clothes as well if the need is there." He explains to her, "The rest of us could certainly make it worthwhile." He glances down at her when she moves. "I'm talking about what shapes for you to draw with the icing?" He queries with a very charming, non innocent smile. "Though by the look on your face, I can tell you're thinking something else, what kind of canvas do you practice on with your icing?"
Innocent; "Parchment paper, mostly. Sometimes the edges of plates." The casual tone and the fact that Jaeyi's fingers aim to tilt up his chin, to graze index finger from his collar over his adam's apple, just are not paired well at all. "Though, of course, I'd much prefer decorating actual cakes, since then it all doesn't go to waste afterward. Actual cakes or, mmn, if you ever feel particularly willing and don't mind that it gets awfully sticky..."
Kwei listens to her, his eyes moving down to settle on hers while she talks and explains her methods. "So long as it doesn't go to waste, I'm sure that's a crime or something," He muses. "If it isn't it should be where your baking and icing is concerned, though I don't mind sticky, so long as I can wash afterwards?" He replies, a very pleasant smile appearing as he considers what the possibilities could be.
"No," answers Jaeyi, leaning to put a brief kiss on the side of his chin, a small laugh at the idea that he'd even think to ask. "You just have to stay frosted forever. That's the price." She takes a peek at his expression and can't help the laugh, her nose leaning against his cheek for a second, there to tell him affectionately, "You better figure out how to wipe that grin off your face, little harper, or people will think we've been up to no-good in here." Instead of just having lunch and innuendo.
Kwei can't help the smile, really he can't especially with even that brief kiss, it's almost enough to make a little Harper swoon from the excitement. Almost but not quite enough this time. "I think it'd be nicer if you dealt with eating the sweet stuff up." He tells her, trying to keep a straight face. "I can dream can't I?" He asks her, "Though I suppose, no matter how pristine we look when we leave, people will still talk."
To his first, Jaeyi looks around like there's some cause for discretion here, where no one is around nor likely to come around, and says into his ear, "Really, that is the idea. You suffer to let me practice my art, and then I reward you by eating all the art off of you. But you will have to dream it, for now, because I'm not making any cakes today, alas." To his last, she leans away a little and makes a face; "People always talk. But! You're going to leave through to the tunnel, and I'm going to leave through to the kitchen, and hopefully they won't have too much to say."
Kwei nods his head with a beamed grin. "I think I could quite like suffering for you art if it's you cleaning up afterwards." When she leans back he lifts his hand to her cheek, a gentle caress as he watches her. "Discretion, you are learning." He says, a hint of pride showing up as he starts to move forward, following her really his eyes still locked on hers for now. "A kiss before we depart?" He asks quietly.
He seems proud and Jaeyi seems despondent; "Discretion." It's not her favorite thing, clearly, but she avoids looking particularly hateful of it, instead summons a smile to greet his request. First, though, she tucks into the corner of the couch again, as though part of this ruse will involve her staying here a while after he takes his leave. "Yes. You can kiss me now." Though she turns no more than a cheek to him, holding on to a smile that makes a great show of being demure. If only she had a yellow party dress to match it.
Kwei continues to smile as he follows her, eventually having to lean over her instead to be able to reach. The offered cheek if It's all he's getting is what he'll accept, planting an almost as demure kiss to her cheek before he sits back onto the edge of the couch with a smile.
It is all he's getting, if only because all that talk of discretion and demure seems to lend itself to a kiss on the cheek, even with the promise of frosting practice hanging in the air. Jaeyi puts her fingers to her lips afterward, leans to press them to his cheek, then ends with a flip of them toward the exit to the tunnels-- run along and leave her to look pretty and order her thoughts and collect the dishes.
Kwei rocks back and stands up, collecting up one of the glasses into his hand, so that she's left with all the things needed for one person. With a smile he dips an ever so flourishy bow to her, all waving arms and the like before he stands, blows her a kiss and turns to leave. Pausing at the doorway he glances back towards her, taking in the sight with a more cheery smile and a wave. "Bye for now my darling baker."
Jaeyi peeks over the back of the couch to catch the cheery smile and wave. She curls her fingers in farewell at him, her chin perched long enough to see him safely on his way. And, a half hour later, no one in the kitchen will have a word to say about the whole thing. For a change. Thank goodness.
IC Date: 4/18/20
Kitchen, Fort Weyr
Fort's kitchens are both immense and well-appointed, which ensures that the kitchen staff is able to feed the Weyr's populace as efficiently as possible. The counters are carved out of the native granite, smoothed and polished through turns of use; there are several stoves and ovens placed along the walls, leaving plenty of room for various cooks to do their job and not be tripping over their fellows. Any ingredients or tools they may need can be found in drawers and cabinets, either within arm's reach or within reach of drudges. Hanging from the ceiling and on hooks on the wall are copper utensils, pots, and pans, all quite well-worn, but still serviceable.
In the middle of this room are a couple of 'islands', composed of wood and with marble countertops, to allow assistants to prepare things and not need to get in the way of the cooks using the main counters. Dumb waiters are located out of the way, but still convenient for getting food down to the living cavern, rather than needing to send people down the stairs. Despite the constant motion and activity -- which slows only at night, but never fully ceases -- everything is meticulously kept clean, from top to bottom.
All around, the kitchens hurry through getting lunch out to the masses gathering in the caverns, people scurrying up and down steps carrying steaming things, crisp things, cold things, soupy things, sandwichy things. "Nooooo no no," sings Jaeyi in the midst of this, scraping squares of cornbread out of a baking dish and onto a serving dish with deft slides of her spatula, setting aside a few of the middle pieces on a plate next to her. "I am quite done for the afternoon. Once this goes out, I am going to go and wilt somewhere." Which of course prompts the serving boy to promise to come and revive her, but she shoos him away to wipe her forehead with the back of her wrist, to exhale as her part in the madness concludes for now.
Kwei enters the kitchens at probably one of the worst points of the day possibly. Staying out of the way the pint sized Harper is well suited to keeping in the background until he sees his opening and slips forward. "How about I steal you away for a walk or the chance to flop somewhere for a while." He offers as he sidles up to stand beside Jaeyi. "You do look like you need a break away from here."
For all she truly looks ready to wilt, Jaeyi laughs brightly, merrily, "I need a month away from here, little harper, but that's harder to come by than a lunch break." Shedding her apron, finding time in the middle of it first to smile down at Kwei and then to issue an abbreviated warning while an assistant scurries behind him with a tray full of dirty silverware, she reaches to the cornbread plate with an inviting, "Steal me away, my hero. But let me get some milk first? Do you want some lunch besides cornbread? There's stew to go with it..." Somewhere, she can't quite find it with her eyes at the moment.
Kwei offers up one of his more charming smiles for her as he steps forward, towards her, out of the way of the assistant. "Your Hero is here to save his beautiful baker." He grins and glances round. "It could be nice, I know where the milk is, I can get that bit." He informs her, turning away as soon as he's finished speaking, ducking his way through the kitchens to collect a bottle or jug and a couple of mugs or glasses, whatever he finds first.
Leaving Jaeyi with the task of getting a tray, of finding some of the stew still on the warmers rather than out in the caverns. Napkins, silverware, a bowl of early strawberries, nothing terribly fancy but it takes all of five minutes for her to collect a fair lunch. "I'm afraid," she confesses upon his return, "that lunch in the cavern will wind up with me cajoled into covering someone's shift. Shall we hide in the stores? There's an old sofa in there, smells like dust but it hasn't got any spiders living in it." Big selling point!
Kwei comes back with his small collection and nods his head. "Sounds like a plan, if I've managed to snag you for lunch I don't want to see you disappearing until it's time." He explains with a wink, waving the pitcher of milk off towards the door of the cavern. "Lead the way to the crawler free couch my darling." He tells her with a laugh. "I'm glad, it'd be bad if I was shown up for that one."
"Afraid of spiders, are you?" Jaeyi manages the tray well, only has to half-spin once to avoid getting trampled by someone who has more pressing business and a bigger tray than hers, letting him pass with a quick crinkle of her nose to acknowledge the charm behind his apologetic smile. "I imagine you have reason to be. There must be some out there bigger than you are!" she bubbles cheerfully, leads through the nearest portions of the stores, those that really belong to the kitchens specifically and not just the general mish-mash of caverns stuff. She glances up at a few top-shelves in passing, but continues with unbroken steps leading in among the old furniture. There, as promised, is one old paisley sofa with a new-looking afghan thrown over one end. This is not the first time she's lunched here, obviously.
Kwei doesn't answer immediately, he's too busy following Jaeyi out and enjoying the swaying view while he can before he catches up once there's enough space to walk alongside. "I'll settle at, they're not my favourite." He tells her. "They tend to creep out and give me a fright, and I jump easily if caught unawares." He eyes her, suddenly wondering if that was a bad notion to have voiced. "Oh this is nice and cosy,. Not quite ass cosy as some places, but it'll certainly do as a retreat." He kneels down to place the glasses down and pours the milk. "So do you come here often?" The smirk on his face so innocent.
Jaeyi, being a girl, can admit shamelessly, "I'm afraid of them. Creepy crawly things." Putting the tray on one cushion, she reaches with her now free hand to simulate a bit of that creepy-crawly from his upper arm, across his shoulder, over the back of his neck, and across the other shoulder. The gesture follows to send her to a teetery table nearby, which she draws to the arm of the sofa and transfers the tray to that, meets his smirk before straightening back up, intentionally looking through the fringe of lashes and the fall of hair. "Not for the reasons you're thinking. It's quiet, and I can eat my lunch and work or read my letters without being bothered. Orrrrrr I can abscond with charming little harpers and no one has to know." She beams, she flops into the corner of the sofa gracelessly.
Kwei would like to think himself a manly man, but lets face it he's far from it, charm has more to do with his survival than his dealings with animals and the like. He does actually shiver a little as her fingers creep over him, it's not quite the delightful shiver she may have been looking for, the thought of a crawler is too much for that. "Well I do like it." He explains, shifting the glasses onto the table and moves himself to sit on the edge of the sofa for the moment. "I like absconding, especially with you, it's always fun conversations." He smiles over at her, "So what shall it be today?"
"Then you may come here whenever you like," offers Jaeyi graciously, hands over the stew with one of the squares of cornbread perched on the rim of the bowl, the spoon threatening to slide down the other edge. "But you're not allowed to bring other girls, or else I will infest it with spiders and they'll crawl all over you at the worst possible moment." Another creep with her fingers, this time on the outside of his leg, before she reaches for her own square of bread and cup of milk. "Mmn, what's on your mind today? Let's start with that and see where it takes us."
Kwei smiles and nods his head. "I'm sure it's a place I could come and just hide away to think for a while, nice and quiet, something I've missed with the weather the way it has been, I usually would just go for a long walk, least the weather is better now." He adds, pausing to get some of the stew into him. "I'll keep it to just you and me then, no one else gets o know." He promises her with a smile. "Oh I don't know, I think I'm still worrying about my exams a little, that and a touch jealous of you."
Jaeyi brought no stew for herself, but the plan was to sink the cornbread into the milk, and she does so with interest, squishing it with her spoon into the bottom of her cup. "It isn't too terrible right now, taking a walk. I have to wear a coat, but I haven't managed to catch some terrible deadly cold out there yet, sooooo. As long as it's not raining, you could probably get some time outdoors?" She's just started to pry out a bite of soggy cornbread when his last words draw her up, blinking; "Jealous why? Because I don't have to take exams like yours?"
Kwei digs into the stew, hunger is a good thing sometimes and now is no exception. "It is getting better." He admits. "But a couple of months ago I could have done with somewhere really quiet." About the time that a certain incident with him and his now ex-girlfriend occurred. "Yeah, you don't seem to have any of the boring theory work I have to contend with." He explains with a smile for her.:digs into the stew, hunger is a good thing sometimes and now is no exception. "It is getting better." He admits. "But a couple of months ago I could have done with somewhere really quiet." About the time that a certain incident with him and his now ex-girlfriend occurred. "Yeah, you don't seem to have any of the boring theory work I have to contend with." He explains with a smile for her.
"A couple of months ago, somewhere really quiet would only have meant you were all alone with your thoughts. And you need friends when times are hard." Jaeyi says this sagely, nods seriously, which looks fairly comical since it dislodges the bite of cornbread and sends it plopping back into her cup. She pouts at the failure a second, going on to counter his theory with, "Ahhhhh, but you don't have to put on ever-so-demure yellow party dresses in order to make the right impression. I'm going there to make a cake, but it's somehow very important that I present myself with girlish passivity." Hopefully, she won't roll her eyes like that when the time comes.
"I'm sure one of my friends would have found me and consoled me in my grief." Kwei replies with a faint smile. "How quickly it would have brought me out of things is up for debate, but not worth the effort now." He continues digging into his stew, which disappears quickly given he grew up with as many siblings as he did. "I don't know, demure works sometimes and I'm sure you could still look seductively spectacular if you needed to, even in a demure yellow party dress." He grins and settles his bowl down, leaning back into the couch. "Though keeping it demure would be better for your chances."
Before she gets around to beaming at the praise, Jaeyi points out, "It's stupid, though. My journeyman said nothing about what kind of cake to make, or how it ought to be decorated, but he hand-picked the party dress?" She holds a look up at Kwei, expecting he'll see the ridiculousness of the situation before she has to point it out further. There, the compliment lands and, putting away her own cup, she means to curl cozily against Kwei now that he's settled back. "I'm sure that I should be grateful for the opportunity and everything, but my vanity much prefers the way certain people look at me in things other than demure yellow party dresses."
Kwei shifts his arm to let her cuddle in, the arm dropping back down to wrap around her once she's settled. "got to be said If I was choosing a dress for you, it wouldn't be demure, unless I was introducing you to my mam." He replies with a bit of a laugh. "But I'm pretty sure you can make any cake look and taste delicious, the demure dress is to make sure they're paying attention to the cake rather than you're other ever so delightful charms." He glances down at her. "Which you don't want distracting them from what you're trying to impress them with."
"Welllll, now I have a dress suitable for meeting people's mothers, hmn?" Jaeyi, comfy, leans her head toward Kwei's chin, her arm crossed over him so her fingers hang loosely off his other shoulder. "I know," she continues after him. "I know, it's all for my own good and the benefit of my career and whatever and so on. I am excited, regardless of the party dress, just..." She shrugs helplessly, leaves it at that. "I haven't been to a wedding since I'm a little girl. Have you? Probably comes up more in your line of work."
Kwei nods his head, "You need to settle on the right man before you start on that one though." He replies with a smile as he gives her a light squeeze, getting himself just as comfortable. "Weddings, a few of them, but usually it's the Harpers from the hall and the holds who get those gigs, not quite so much call for it within the weyr." He pauses, his hand rubbing comfortingly against her arm, "You okay with what your doing for this?"
Jaeyi smiles emptily for a moment, an expression that ends with a little sigh turned against Kwei's throat, placid. "I think it's going to be a fairly big wedding. Some time, when I get very famous and people vie for my cakes, I'll make it all part of the deal that I only work if my favoritest harper is there performing." The sparkly, beamy smile is pretty clear by the plumping of her cheeks even if the expression itself is lost in their current arrangement. "Am I okay with making a wedding cake, you mean? Of course. I'm happy to have the chance."
Kwei nods his head a little as she speaks, dropping a light kiss against her forehead, it should be about the right place. "I could cope with that, party planning the Fort way." He chuckles and gives her an affectionate squeeze. "They're bigger than you usually make for round here, but at the end of the day its' still a cake and that's very much within your capabilities, If you need a hand with thinking about decorations, let me know and we can go over some of the ones I can remember."
"If I'm going to make a career out of it, I might as well spread the wealth, hmmn? I know a vintner and a harper, between the three of us, we could feed, entertain, and intoxicate party after party after party." In the pause that follows, after the faint nod to acknowledge his offer to go over designs, Jaeyi leans away just a moment till she can tilt a very merry look up at him. "You're offering to help me practice cake decorating? Because I don't think that means what you think that means."
Kwei grins and adds. "And a weaver to make their clothes as well if the need is there." He explains to her, "The rest of us could certainly make it worthwhile." He glances down at her when she moves. "I'm talking about what shapes for you to draw with the icing?" He queries with a very charming, non innocent smile. "Though by the look on your face, I can tell you're thinking something else, what kind of canvas do you practice on with your icing?"
Innocent; "Parchment paper, mostly. Sometimes the edges of plates." The casual tone and the fact that Jaeyi's fingers aim to tilt up his chin, to graze index finger from his collar over his adam's apple, just are not paired well at all. "Though, of course, I'd much prefer decorating actual cakes, since then it all doesn't go to waste afterward. Actual cakes or, mmn, if you ever feel particularly willing and don't mind that it gets awfully sticky..."
Kwei listens to her, his eyes moving down to settle on hers while she talks and explains her methods. "So long as it doesn't go to waste, I'm sure that's a crime or something," He muses. "If it isn't it should be where your baking and icing is concerned, though I don't mind sticky, so long as I can wash afterwards?" He replies, a very pleasant smile appearing as he considers what the possibilities could be.
"No," answers Jaeyi, leaning to put a brief kiss on the side of his chin, a small laugh at the idea that he'd even think to ask. "You just have to stay frosted forever. That's the price." She takes a peek at his expression and can't help the laugh, her nose leaning against his cheek for a second, there to tell him affectionately, "You better figure out how to wipe that grin off your face, little harper, or people will think we've been up to no-good in here." Instead of just having lunch and innuendo.
Kwei can't help the smile, really he can't especially with even that brief kiss, it's almost enough to make a little Harper swoon from the excitement. Almost but not quite enough this time. "I think it'd be nicer if you dealt with eating the sweet stuff up." He tells her, trying to keep a straight face. "I can dream can't I?" He asks her, "Though I suppose, no matter how pristine we look when we leave, people will still talk."
To his first, Jaeyi looks around like there's some cause for discretion here, where no one is around nor likely to come around, and says into his ear, "Really, that is the idea. You suffer to let me practice my art, and then I reward you by eating all the art off of you. But you will have to dream it, for now, because I'm not making any cakes today, alas." To his last, she leans away a little and makes a face; "People always talk. But! You're going to leave through to the tunnel, and I'm going to leave through to the kitchen, and hopefully they won't have too much to say."
Kwei nods his head with a beamed grin. "I think I could quite like suffering for you art if it's you cleaning up afterwards." When she leans back he lifts his hand to her cheek, a gentle caress as he watches her. "Discretion, you are learning." He says, a hint of pride showing up as he starts to move forward, following her really his eyes still locked on hers for now. "A kiss before we depart?" He asks quietly.
He seems proud and Jaeyi seems despondent; "Discretion." It's not her favorite thing, clearly, but she avoids looking particularly hateful of it, instead summons a smile to greet his request. First, though, she tucks into the corner of the couch again, as though part of this ruse will involve her staying here a while after he takes his leave. "Yes. You can kiss me now." Though she turns no more than a cheek to him, holding on to a smile that makes a great show of being demure. If only she had a yellow party dress to match it.
Kwei continues to smile as he follows her, eventually having to lean over her instead to be able to reach. The offered cheek if It's all he's getting is what he'll accept, planting an almost as demure kiss to her cheek before he sits back onto the edge of the couch with a smile.
It is all he's getting, if only because all that talk of discretion and demure seems to lend itself to a kiss on the cheek, even with the promise of frosting practice hanging in the air. Jaeyi puts her fingers to her lips afterward, leans to press them to his cheek, then ends with a flip of them toward the exit to the tunnels-- run along and leave her to look pretty and order her thoughts and collect the dishes.
Kwei rocks back and stands up, collecting up one of the glasses into his hand, so that she's left with all the things needed for one person. With a smile he dips an ever so flourishy bow to her, all waving arms and the like before he stands, blows her a kiss and turns to leave. Pausing at the doorway he glances back towards her, taking in the sight with a more cheery smile and a wave. "Bye for now my darling baker."
Jaeyi peeks over the back of the couch to catch the cheery smile and wave. She curls her fingers in farewell at him, her chin perched long enough to see him safely on his way. And, a half hour later, no one in the kitchen will have a word to say about the whole thing. For a change. Thank goodness.