[Jaeyi] Monogamy? Seriously? /And/ being on time to things?!
RL Date: 4/3/10
IC Date: 5/18/22 --My connection totally sucked, so a) thanks Jiella for hanging in there and b) sorry if I lost any poses in the editing. :P
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.
It's early, but not for anyone working in the kitchen - prep and cooking of breakfast has been going on for hours and hours, and there's likely a good number of people who've already moved onto lunch. Who it might be surprisingly early for is a tall, curvy blonde brownrider, who rather than deign to take her breakfast with the rabble in the living cavern, has managed to charm a small space on which to perch and some fresh bread and butter out of someone or another. Though Jiella's awake, she doesn't quite look all that thrilled about it yet, brown eyes fixed on the mug in her hands in a reverie, half-asleep, perhaps.
It took a while for word to get around to Jaeyi, who's not actually working on lunch so much as supervising a couple of the cooks while Melkyn bends her ear about a dessert menu for the next week. Finally, when the dishwasher who's obsessed with nice legs drops the /third/ pan onto the floor, she finally kens to the presence of said nice legs. Though detaching herself from him earns an eyeroll from Melkyn-- "So judgmental. It's just to see a friend, and not /that/ friend."-- she collects up a tray of things, fresh klah and oatmeal and brown sugar and toast, and slides it on to a counter near Jiella. "You're gonna get the dishwasher fired, just so you know." CLANG. "See?"
You'd think that the repeated CLANGing would rouse Jiella from her staring into space, but either she's not good at mornings, she was up pretty late, or likely some combination thereof. However, Jaeyi and her tray of things - particularly the fresh mug to replace the rapidly cooling one - warrants not only her attention, but one of her more brilliant smiles, wide and bright, brown eyes warm. "I keep meaning to visit, and now I don't have to," she says delightedly, then corrects, "I still should. But it's nice to see you!" As for the dishwasher, she glances over momentarily, then back to the brunette with a shrug. "They ought to be used to that sort of thing with you around." Because Jaeyi is part of the pretty girl's club.
"You're not missing much," Jaeyi promises about the visits that Jiella has failed to make thus far. "A Hold's a Hold's a Hold, so far as I can tell, though the kitchen there is..." She trails off, blows out a sumptuously pleased sigh, and then nudges the tray of things closer to Jiella, help-yourself. "You, too! How are you? Aside from pretty enough to get the dishwasher fired, I mean. He has a thing for legs. Show him an ankle and he'll probably pass out."
"Oh, I don't know," Jiella sighs, a bit wistfully. "A Hold's a Hold's a Hold, but I still miss my rooms. And some Holds're nicer than others. Like, At're's always surprised at all the stuff I have, but he's still Blooded and all. I bet you've got a nice set-up." There's no implication to her tone despite whatever she may know, just mild jealousy. Swapping her mug for the new one and starting to dump sugar on the oatmeal, "Fort's the nicest. And the kitchen's got an entirely different purpose. And I'm pretty good, actually. I mean, there's work, but aside from that..."
Jaeyi picks at toast, cinnamon toast no less, peeling off the crust and leaving it no the edge of the tray to comment, "My rooms are-- well, I'm pretty sure you could house most people's whole family in my suite. You get what you pay for, hmn?" Light, careless, willing to make the implications that Jiella's not. "I don't like--" Wait. "Are you and At're...?" She glances around, flicking a look to the poor dishwasher, who tends to eavesdrop like you wouldn't believe, and leaves off the 'nailing each other' from the end of that question.
Taking a sip from her mug - and eyeing that cinnamon toast now - Jiella notes, "I had something like that. Probably not like /yours/ because Fort Sea isn't like Fort Hold, but..." Typically oblivious, she trails off after realizing Jaeyi's carelessness might not be quite so careless after all; with a slight frown marring pretty brow, "Well, you know. Details get left out of jobs until you get into them. Coming here was like that." Snagging a piece of toast with a laugh, she nods a little. "For awhile now. He's my boyfriend, I guess."
"Him?" Jaeyi tries to take some of the 'ew' out of that question by saying it again, "I mean-- him? He's kind... pricky? Isn't he?" She troubles the thought for a couple of extra seconds, nibbling and looking at Jiella in the process like she's really having issues pairing up the two of them. "What? No one explained that, by coming here, you'd wind up getting searched and then Impress and now..." The 'dot dot dot' is almost audible before she adds, "I don't actually know what riders do all day."
After a bite of toast is dealt with, "Well, we were sort of together at that gather at Fort ages ago. And he's not like that with me. He's pretty much amazed I'm even with him half the time, so." Jiella isn't insulted or overly surprised by the issues that Jaeyi's having putting them together - in fact, she nods a little, noting, "It doesn't make a lot of sense, I know. But..." A little shrug; a wicked little grin. Apparently she's pretty happy with the situation. "And no one explained I'd have to do /work/ through candidacy, or how hard it was going to be after Impressing. As for what we do all day..." The blonde waves it off with her toast. Not interesting.
Jaeyi nods with enthusiastic agreement about that-- amazed, yes, so is she-- and clarifies, "He's good-looking, but I guess... I dunno. As long as he's nice to you, I don't guess it matters much if I think he's a prick. Though. Does he know you and T'rev--?" Oh, how much gossip the kitchen's going to pick up in one fell swoop. "Is it hard? The weyrlings always just look sorta dazed to me. And starving. But everyone usually looks starving to me. Speaking of, I can get some raisins for that oatmeal, if you want?"
Jiella is likewise enthusiastic about the fact that he's good-looking. "He's /gorgeous/. And I mean, I guess he can sort of be like that, but he's good to me. And - oh." The blonde pauses as she sets down toast and mug to take up the oatmeal, spoon poised over it. After recovering from the initial surprise, "No - it was all Chielyth's flight, and I think we just... I don't think there's much we want to talk about that anymore." Because that's helpful! As for weyrlinghood, "It's exhausting, and I'd never done anything even near to like that before. And I was starving all the time, no time to eat." Even so, she'll wave off the raisins with her spoon.
Jaeyi has to bite her lip for a second, trying to hide the grin that still peeks through relentlessly. "At're and B'kaiv. This is the first time that I've thought about it without giggling." Close, though. "Can I ask how At're took it? 'Cause I like to imagine that Kai didn't handle it well at all, but I'm /trying/ to be more charitable with him." It's a hard sell, says the tone. "Anyway. I told Trish, she has a thing for T'rev so she's all about gossip concerning the Weyrleader, so if it gets back to At're, you can totally blame me."
Not thrilled with the grin, Jiella can't blame Jaeyi for it either - so just pretends to stir her oatmeal around and ignores it. "Yeah, well - I appreciate that," she says, a bit dryly. "And I don't know about Kai." There's something suspicious in her tone, but she shakes her head a little, pursing full lips thoughtfully before, "Trey had a hard time, and I kind of hated it, which I didn't expect. So, hopefully it gets to be no big deal, or something." With a little shrug, eating some oatmeal, she becomes thoughtful at the idea of At're finding out. "I hope if it does, it won't bother him too much. But thanks anyway."
"Why?" Jaeyi seizes on the part about kind-of-hated-it, her brows knitting deeply while she tries to puzzle through yet another facet of the bizarre. "I mean, it was a flight, right? Like, I get that people don't always want their 'other' fooling around wherever they can, but it doesn't count when it's a flight, does it?" With a new bloom of humor, with the last of the toast nibbled away, she adds, "It's not like Chielyth's flight changed your lives at all, hmn? Just wait till Khazioth nabs himself a queen."
Yeah, that last? That's not as funny to Jiella as it might be to Jaeyi. After another little bit of oatmeal, she abandons it altogether and goes back to the klah. Weirdly sober, but trying to shake that, "It was a flight, and I'll get used to it, and I'm sure /Orisoth/ might catch himself a queen too at some point -" She does have to be faintly insulted on her lifemate's behalf. "But I don't know. I'm not used to actually... caring what anyone does. And it was the first time. And..." A sip of klah. "I don't like people touching my things, so it might be the same sorta principle."
Jaeyi keen to the not-funny, adds, "Sorry. I just-- seems like, if you can kinda make light of the things that suck the most, they're a little easier to swallow." She listens to the rest of Jiella's explanation with her head tilted far to one side, a half-nod for what Orisoth might one day accomplish for himself, and then, "Oh, so it's not just that he's your boyfriend. You're, like, in love with him? At least it was just with Kai, hmn? Not someone who's, say, attractive and likeable?"
"It's just not something I like to think about. The only thing I'm /not/ is a goldrider," Jiella notes, with the faintest thread of petulance, maybe something else beneath it. "And a clutch is kind of a long-term thing. You never know, you know?" Wrinkling her nose a touch, she doesn't lose her appetite for long at least, going back to the toast. It's less like real food. Seeming almost embarrassed for Jaeyi's supposition, the blonde nods easily even so. "I didn't expect that, but there it is. And that's exactly what /I/ said - though I mean, that was weird and fucked up enough to make me upset, so." Shaking that off, she gives a little sigh, then asks, "How're things with you, anyway?"
Jaeyi argues brightly, "That's not true. You're also not a brunette. I'm guessing neither of those things matter much to At're." She looks down at the toast for a second, adding almost absently, "There's more, if you're still hungry. We always wind up with about a hundred spare pieces. --Weird and fucked up is probably a pretty good way to sum it all up. Obviously, you two're still speaking, so good for you. This love business is not all it's cracked up to be." That last question earns a nose-crinkle and the bland answer of, "Things're things. All work and waaaaay too little play these days."
Perhaps a touch grudgingly, "You may have a point." Apparently Jiella would like to hang on to her paranoia for a bit longer; people are funny about things like that. The blonde eyes her toast and the tray before offering Jaeyi a bright grin; amused, "I think I'll be okay with everything I've got here. What do you do with spare toast, though?" With a little grimace for love business, "You're not kidding. I have no idea what's going on half the time." As for the bland answer, there's the arch of light brows, but she figures, "I guess it's not like you have a ton of free time."
"Sometimes I tear it up and make muffins, cobblestone muffins with loads extra cinnamon and brown sugar. And raisins." Jaeyi looks at the raisin-less oatmeal bowl, grinning briefly, similar to the grin she carries over to the 'love business' conversation. "It's better than the alternative though, hmn? The whole... pretending it's not really happening alternative?" Frankly, she adds, "It's not permanent, at least. Isobel will have her baby, a couple of months to recover, and I get my every-other-night back. And I shouldn't complain. You should see the jewelry. And the clothes. And the perfume. Being kept's not all bad, just tedious sometimes."
"That sounds good, actually..." Jiella considers the muffins, adding with a grin, "I just don't like the raisins in my oatmeal - that's all." Finishing the toast with a sip from her mug to wash it down, she's briefly thoughtful before, "I had to time to pretend it wasn't happening, I think. He told me, and I didn't know. Then I figured if I didn't really want to upset him by sleeping with anyone else or anything, I must, so..." A little shrug Jaeyi's way. She still seems slightly sympathetic despite the baker's assurances, despite betraying a little envy at the rewards. "I can imagine - and I mean, that's what I was hoping for, just through an actual marriage. But still, it's not like... Well. I guess at least it'll get better."
Jaeyi, to the raisin/oatmeal issue, "Then you're obviously a freak." So there. "And that's the defining feature of love for you? Not wanting to upset him by sleeping with someone else?" She takes a big breath, lets it out in a 'wow' kind of sigh, and then flicks her fingers at the sympathy. "Everyone has something they have to get over, right? He's good in bed, and he takes care of me, so I could sure have it worse. It's not like, say, I was one degree of separation away from fucking Kai." Beam.
With a sniff, loftily, "Just because you're a baker doesn't mean you're like, the judge of all oatmeal." Jiella shakes her head Jaeyi's way, widening brown eyes seriously. "No, there's other ones, but it's not like that sort of thing would have bothered me with someone /else/." Well, everyone's got their own way of figuring out emotions; the blonde's just aren't so complex. With a smirk for the brunette's last, she points out, "You have to listen, though, don't you? And... I suppose you can look at it as something to get over."
"So, now, you and At're are just-- like, no one else? I mean, aside from the whole 'freaking out about the flight' thing?" Jaeyi, so completely lost when it comes to monogamy. "Don't you get bored? It's like-- like-- like oatmeal without raisins. Or just raisins, and never, like, apples or bananas or anything." With another 'so there' look, the judge of all oatmeal. "I think of it more as something like the boringest bedtime story ever. Sex, a long and boring bedtime story about a spoiled little boy who grew up to be a mean mean man, kiss kiss goodnight, and so ready to nod off."
The blonde is a little bemused about how things ended up this way, but -- "Yes. See, I would've been open to something less sort of - exclusive, because - well." Jiella gives Jaeyi a significant look - this is nearly too much woman for anyone to handle. "But Trey didn't like the idea, and I didn't like the idea of upsetting him. And now, I just don't like /sharing/." She'll go back to poking at her oatmeal, shaking her head - no. "I don't get bored. I pretty much want to get his clothes off all the time right now, but if that changes, I'll let you know." With a tiny nose-wrinkle, an uncomfortable shift for how close to home that might be, "I'm not surprised."
Jaeyi, bright; "Have you tried it? Sharing? 'Caaaaause..." She trails off, leaving that statement to speak for itself. "I guess it's kind of to each his own. Or her own. I-- T'rev-- yeah, I think we'd probably both wind up throwing ourselves off cliffs. What do you do if there's someone you, like, want? And it's not At're? Just-- don't?" Far into foreign territory for her, and Jiella gets to be the tour guide~!
Again petulant, "I don't like when people touch my things, I doubt I'm going to like it any more when people touch my boyfriend." Jiella's not quite sold just yet, though she's not judging Jaeyi for it either, swinging her legs idly as she eats some of the oatmeal. "I'm not saying there might not be some benefits to a different arrangement, but... it's working right now. And better that you guys don't throw yourselves off cliffs, yes. People would be terribly upset, and there'd be no more pretty cupcakes." The blonde affects a pout. With a shrug, "Just... don't, and fuck Trey later?"
"You could not-don't and still fuck Trey later. If he wasn't the jealous type. And neither were you." Jealous type / leper. Jaeyi has to grin at the petulance, though the bite of her thumbnail means to hide it at least somewhat, maybe so as not to hurt Jiella's delicate little feelings. "Well, if it makes you happy and not bored out of your head, good for you. But don't expect any pretty cupcakes sent up for the two of you. He's still pricky."
'Jealous' sounds nicer than 'possessive' at least. Jiella also knows she's prone to sulking, so even if Jaeyi's not totally able to hide her grin, she's hardly insulted by it. "I could. I would have thought that'd be my inclination." She gives a little shrug as she hops off the counter with a little bounce, pausing to scoop the last of the oatmeal out of the bowl. A little sadly, "I won't, but will you send any if I promise not to share? I'm not above that, you know - and he says I'm pretty enough to be selfish." So why not take advantage, right?
Jaeyi tries to make a stern face, but stern and Jaeyi were just never meant to hang out together, so it looks silly rather than impressive. "If you really really promise, I'll send some for you. Extra super neon pink, though, so in case you do try to share, no man in his right mind would have anything to do with them. Because, while you /are/ pretty enough to be selfish, you're also smitten and that makes people stupid and sometimes even charitable."
The blonde actually seems a little abashed by admitting to the very idea, waving it off with a smirk. "We'll see how much it actually happens," Jiella notes with a diffident shrug. "And I try to see Ella once in awhile anyway, so - not a big deal." With a little squeeze for Jaeyi's arm on her way past, the brownrider offers a wave for her farewell and saunters on out - being sure to walk past the dishwasher as she does. It's less charity than that she likes the attention, no matter where it comes from.
IC Date: 5/18/22 --My connection totally sucked, so a) thanks Jiella for hanging in there and b) sorry if I lost any poses in the editing. :P
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.
It's early, but not for anyone working in the kitchen - prep and cooking of breakfast has been going on for hours and hours, and there's likely a good number of people who've already moved onto lunch. Who it might be surprisingly early for is a tall, curvy blonde brownrider, who rather than deign to take her breakfast with the rabble in the living cavern, has managed to charm a small space on which to perch and some fresh bread and butter out of someone or another. Though Jiella's awake, she doesn't quite look all that thrilled about it yet, brown eyes fixed on the mug in her hands in a reverie, half-asleep, perhaps.
It took a while for word to get around to Jaeyi, who's not actually working on lunch so much as supervising a couple of the cooks while Melkyn bends her ear about a dessert menu for the next week. Finally, when the dishwasher who's obsessed with nice legs drops the /third/ pan onto the floor, she finally kens to the presence of said nice legs. Though detaching herself from him earns an eyeroll from Melkyn-- "So judgmental. It's just to see a friend, and not /that/ friend."-- she collects up a tray of things, fresh klah and oatmeal and brown sugar and toast, and slides it on to a counter near Jiella. "You're gonna get the dishwasher fired, just so you know." CLANG. "See?"
You'd think that the repeated CLANGing would rouse Jiella from her staring into space, but either she's not good at mornings, she was up pretty late, or likely some combination thereof. However, Jaeyi and her tray of things - particularly the fresh mug to replace the rapidly cooling one - warrants not only her attention, but one of her more brilliant smiles, wide and bright, brown eyes warm. "I keep meaning to visit, and now I don't have to," she says delightedly, then corrects, "I still should. But it's nice to see you!" As for the dishwasher, she glances over momentarily, then back to the brunette with a shrug. "They ought to be used to that sort of thing with you around." Because Jaeyi is part of the pretty girl's club.
"You're not missing much," Jaeyi promises about the visits that Jiella has failed to make thus far. "A Hold's a Hold's a Hold, so far as I can tell, though the kitchen there is..." She trails off, blows out a sumptuously pleased sigh, and then nudges the tray of things closer to Jiella, help-yourself. "You, too! How are you? Aside from pretty enough to get the dishwasher fired, I mean. He has a thing for legs. Show him an ankle and he'll probably pass out."
"Oh, I don't know," Jiella sighs, a bit wistfully. "A Hold's a Hold's a Hold, but I still miss my rooms. And some Holds're nicer than others. Like, At're's always surprised at all the stuff I have, but he's still Blooded and all. I bet you've got a nice set-up." There's no implication to her tone despite whatever she may know, just mild jealousy. Swapping her mug for the new one and starting to dump sugar on the oatmeal, "Fort's the nicest. And the kitchen's got an entirely different purpose. And I'm pretty good, actually. I mean, there's work, but aside from that..."
Jaeyi picks at toast, cinnamon toast no less, peeling off the crust and leaving it no the edge of the tray to comment, "My rooms are-- well, I'm pretty sure you could house most people's whole family in my suite. You get what you pay for, hmn?" Light, careless, willing to make the implications that Jiella's not. "I don't like--" Wait. "Are you and At're...?" She glances around, flicking a look to the poor dishwasher, who tends to eavesdrop like you wouldn't believe, and leaves off the 'nailing each other' from the end of that question.
Taking a sip from her mug - and eyeing that cinnamon toast now - Jiella notes, "I had something like that. Probably not like /yours/ because Fort Sea isn't like Fort Hold, but..." Typically oblivious, she trails off after realizing Jaeyi's carelessness might not be quite so careless after all; with a slight frown marring pretty brow, "Well, you know. Details get left out of jobs until you get into them. Coming here was like that." Snagging a piece of toast with a laugh, she nods a little. "For awhile now. He's my boyfriend, I guess."
"Him?" Jaeyi tries to take some of the 'ew' out of that question by saying it again, "I mean-- him? He's kind... pricky? Isn't he?" She troubles the thought for a couple of extra seconds, nibbling and looking at Jiella in the process like she's really having issues pairing up the two of them. "What? No one explained that, by coming here, you'd wind up getting searched and then Impress and now..." The 'dot dot dot' is almost audible before she adds, "I don't actually know what riders do all day."
After a bite of toast is dealt with, "Well, we were sort of together at that gather at Fort ages ago. And he's not like that with me. He's pretty much amazed I'm even with him half the time, so." Jiella isn't insulted or overly surprised by the issues that Jaeyi's having putting them together - in fact, she nods a little, noting, "It doesn't make a lot of sense, I know. But..." A little shrug; a wicked little grin. Apparently she's pretty happy with the situation. "And no one explained I'd have to do /work/ through candidacy, or how hard it was going to be after Impressing. As for what we do all day..." The blonde waves it off with her toast. Not interesting.
Jaeyi nods with enthusiastic agreement about that-- amazed, yes, so is she-- and clarifies, "He's good-looking, but I guess... I dunno. As long as he's nice to you, I don't guess it matters much if I think he's a prick. Though. Does he know you and T'rev--?" Oh, how much gossip the kitchen's going to pick up in one fell swoop. "Is it hard? The weyrlings always just look sorta dazed to me. And starving. But everyone usually looks starving to me. Speaking of, I can get some raisins for that oatmeal, if you want?"
Jiella is likewise enthusiastic about the fact that he's good-looking. "He's /gorgeous/. And I mean, I guess he can sort of be like that, but he's good to me. And - oh." The blonde pauses as she sets down toast and mug to take up the oatmeal, spoon poised over it. After recovering from the initial surprise, "No - it was all Chielyth's flight, and I think we just... I don't think there's much we want to talk about that anymore." Because that's helpful! As for weyrlinghood, "It's exhausting, and I'd never done anything even near to like that before. And I was starving all the time, no time to eat." Even so, she'll wave off the raisins with her spoon.
Jaeyi has to bite her lip for a second, trying to hide the grin that still peeks through relentlessly. "At're and B'kaiv. This is the first time that I've thought about it without giggling." Close, though. "Can I ask how At're took it? 'Cause I like to imagine that Kai didn't handle it well at all, but I'm /trying/ to be more charitable with him." It's a hard sell, says the tone. "Anyway. I told Trish, she has a thing for T'rev so she's all about gossip concerning the Weyrleader, so if it gets back to At're, you can totally blame me."
Not thrilled with the grin, Jiella can't blame Jaeyi for it either - so just pretends to stir her oatmeal around and ignores it. "Yeah, well - I appreciate that," she says, a bit dryly. "And I don't know about Kai." There's something suspicious in her tone, but she shakes her head a little, pursing full lips thoughtfully before, "Trey had a hard time, and I kind of hated it, which I didn't expect. So, hopefully it gets to be no big deal, or something." With a little shrug, eating some oatmeal, she becomes thoughtful at the idea of At're finding out. "I hope if it does, it won't bother him too much. But thanks anyway."
"Why?" Jaeyi seizes on the part about kind-of-hated-it, her brows knitting deeply while she tries to puzzle through yet another facet of the bizarre. "I mean, it was a flight, right? Like, I get that people don't always want their 'other' fooling around wherever they can, but it doesn't count when it's a flight, does it?" With a new bloom of humor, with the last of the toast nibbled away, she adds, "It's not like Chielyth's flight changed your lives at all, hmn? Just wait till Khazioth nabs himself a queen."
Yeah, that last? That's not as funny to Jiella as it might be to Jaeyi. After another little bit of oatmeal, she abandons it altogether and goes back to the klah. Weirdly sober, but trying to shake that, "It was a flight, and I'll get used to it, and I'm sure /Orisoth/ might catch himself a queen too at some point -" She does have to be faintly insulted on her lifemate's behalf. "But I don't know. I'm not used to actually... caring what anyone does. And it was the first time. And..." A sip of klah. "I don't like people touching my things, so it might be the same sorta principle."
Jaeyi keen to the not-funny, adds, "Sorry. I just-- seems like, if you can kinda make light of the things that suck the most, they're a little easier to swallow." She listens to the rest of Jiella's explanation with her head tilted far to one side, a half-nod for what Orisoth might one day accomplish for himself, and then, "Oh, so it's not just that he's your boyfriend. You're, like, in love with him? At least it was just with Kai, hmn? Not someone who's, say, attractive and likeable?"
"It's just not something I like to think about. The only thing I'm /not/ is a goldrider," Jiella notes, with the faintest thread of petulance, maybe something else beneath it. "And a clutch is kind of a long-term thing. You never know, you know?" Wrinkling her nose a touch, she doesn't lose her appetite for long at least, going back to the toast. It's less like real food. Seeming almost embarrassed for Jaeyi's supposition, the blonde nods easily even so. "I didn't expect that, but there it is. And that's exactly what /I/ said - though I mean, that was weird and fucked up enough to make me upset, so." Shaking that off, she gives a little sigh, then asks, "How're things with you, anyway?"
Jaeyi argues brightly, "That's not true. You're also not a brunette. I'm guessing neither of those things matter much to At're." She looks down at the toast for a second, adding almost absently, "There's more, if you're still hungry. We always wind up with about a hundred spare pieces. --Weird and fucked up is probably a pretty good way to sum it all up. Obviously, you two're still speaking, so good for you. This love business is not all it's cracked up to be." That last question earns a nose-crinkle and the bland answer of, "Things're things. All work and waaaaay too little play these days."
Perhaps a touch grudgingly, "You may have a point." Apparently Jiella would like to hang on to her paranoia for a bit longer; people are funny about things like that. The blonde eyes her toast and the tray before offering Jaeyi a bright grin; amused, "I think I'll be okay with everything I've got here. What do you do with spare toast, though?" With a little grimace for love business, "You're not kidding. I have no idea what's going on half the time." As for the bland answer, there's the arch of light brows, but she figures, "I guess it's not like you have a ton of free time."
"Sometimes I tear it up and make muffins, cobblestone muffins with loads extra cinnamon and brown sugar. And raisins." Jaeyi looks at the raisin-less oatmeal bowl, grinning briefly, similar to the grin she carries over to the 'love business' conversation. "It's better than the alternative though, hmn? The whole... pretending it's not really happening alternative?" Frankly, she adds, "It's not permanent, at least. Isobel will have her baby, a couple of months to recover, and I get my every-other-night back. And I shouldn't complain. You should see the jewelry. And the clothes. And the perfume. Being kept's not all bad, just tedious sometimes."
"That sounds good, actually..." Jiella considers the muffins, adding with a grin, "I just don't like the raisins in my oatmeal - that's all." Finishing the toast with a sip from her mug to wash it down, she's briefly thoughtful before, "I had to time to pretend it wasn't happening, I think. He told me, and I didn't know. Then I figured if I didn't really want to upset him by sleeping with anyone else or anything, I must, so..." A little shrug Jaeyi's way. She still seems slightly sympathetic despite the baker's assurances, despite betraying a little envy at the rewards. "I can imagine - and I mean, that's what I was hoping for, just through an actual marriage. But still, it's not like... Well. I guess at least it'll get better."
Jaeyi, to the raisin/oatmeal issue, "Then you're obviously a freak." So there. "And that's the defining feature of love for you? Not wanting to upset him by sleeping with someone else?" She takes a big breath, lets it out in a 'wow' kind of sigh, and then flicks her fingers at the sympathy. "Everyone has something they have to get over, right? He's good in bed, and he takes care of me, so I could sure have it worse. It's not like, say, I was one degree of separation away from fucking Kai." Beam.
With a sniff, loftily, "Just because you're a baker doesn't mean you're like, the judge of all oatmeal." Jiella shakes her head Jaeyi's way, widening brown eyes seriously. "No, there's other ones, but it's not like that sort of thing would have bothered me with someone /else/." Well, everyone's got their own way of figuring out emotions; the blonde's just aren't so complex. With a smirk for the brunette's last, she points out, "You have to listen, though, don't you? And... I suppose you can look at it as something to get over."
"So, now, you and At're are just-- like, no one else? I mean, aside from the whole 'freaking out about the flight' thing?" Jaeyi, so completely lost when it comes to monogamy. "Don't you get bored? It's like-- like-- like oatmeal without raisins. Or just raisins, and never, like, apples or bananas or anything." With another 'so there' look, the judge of all oatmeal. "I think of it more as something like the boringest bedtime story ever. Sex, a long and boring bedtime story about a spoiled little boy who grew up to be a mean mean man, kiss kiss goodnight, and so ready to nod off."
The blonde is a little bemused about how things ended up this way, but -- "Yes. See, I would've been open to something less sort of - exclusive, because - well." Jiella gives Jaeyi a significant look - this is nearly too much woman for anyone to handle. "But Trey didn't like the idea, and I didn't like the idea of upsetting him. And now, I just don't like /sharing/." She'll go back to poking at her oatmeal, shaking her head - no. "I don't get bored. I pretty much want to get his clothes off all the time right now, but if that changes, I'll let you know." With a tiny nose-wrinkle, an uncomfortable shift for how close to home that might be, "I'm not surprised."
Jaeyi, bright; "Have you tried it? Sharing? 'Caaaaause..." She trails off, leaving that statement to speak for itself. "I guess it's kind of to each his own. Or her own. I-- T'rev-- yeah, I think we'd probably both wind up throwing ourselves off cliffs. What do you do if there's someone you, like, want? And it's not At're? Just-- don't?" Far into foreign territory for her, and Jiella gets to be the tour guide~!
Again petulant, "I don't like when people touch my things, I doubt I'm going to like it any more when people touch my boyfriend." Jiella's not quite sold just yet, though she's not judging Jaeyi for it either, swinging her legs idly as she eats some of the oatmeal. "I'm not saying there might not be some benefits to a different arrangement, but... it's working right now. And better that you guys don't throw yourselves off cliffs, yes. People would be terribly upset, and there'd be no more pretty cupcakes." The blonde affects a pout. With a shrug, "Just... don't, and fuck Trey later?"
"You could not-don't and still fuck Trey later. If he wasn't the jealous type. And neither were you." Jealous type / leper. Jaeyi has to grin at the petulance, though the bite of her thumbnail means to hide it at least somewhat, maybe so as not to hurt Jiella's delicate little feelings. "Well, if it makes you happy and not bored out of your head, good for you. But don't expect any pretty cupcakes sent up for the two of you. He's still pricky."
'Jealous' sounds nicer than 'possessive' at least. Jiella also knows she's prone to sulking, so even if Jaeyi's not totally able to hide her grin, she's hardly insulted by it. "I could. I would have thought that'd be my inclination." She gives a little shrug as she hops off the counter with a little bounce, pausing to scoop the last of the oatmeal out of the bowl. A little sadly, "I won't, but will you send any if I promise not to share? I'm not above that, you know - and he says I'm pretty enough to be selfish." So why not take advantage, right?
Jaeyi tries to make a stern face, but stern and Jaeyi were just never meant to hang out together, so it looks silly rather than impressive. "If you really really promise, I'll send some for you. Extra super neon pink, though, so in case you do try to share, no man in his right mind would have anything to do with them. Because, while you /are/ pretty enough to be selfish, you're also smitten and that makes people stupid and sometimes even charitable."
The blonde actually seems a little abashed by admitting to the very idea, waving it off with a smirk. "We'll see how much it actually happens," Jiella notes with a diffident shrug. "And I try to see Ella once in awhile anyway, so - not a big deal." With a little squeeze for Jaeyi's arm on her way past, the brownrider offers a wave for her farewell and saunters on out - being sure to walk past the dishwasher as she does. It's less charity than that she likes the attention, no matter where it comes from.