LOG: Weyrleaderly Authority.
Date: Day 27, Month 7, Turn 23
Location: Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del and Avey talk about their soon-to-be-born child, and other, mostly silly, stuff.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
Avey is sitting at a table in a corner off by herself, having a drink. She looks hugely pregnant, and hot, and sweaty, and tired, and vaguely put out with the universe. She alternately watches people pass by her table, and just stares off into space.
"How're you feeling?" asks K'del, with the air of one who knows it's all his fault, and that the question probably isn't the best one to ask right now, not that it stops him from looking hopeful and encouraging, too. He slides into the seat across from Avey, having crossed from the entrance in record time. "Can I get you anything? Do anything?"
Avey blinks as she's drawn out of her thoughts. "Oh, hi," she says, and then manages to summon a smile for K'del: all part of her resolve to be a good sport about this. "Thanks. I think I'm okay," she says, tilting her half full glass slightly. "I'm not supposed to overdo it, you know? ...how are you doing?"
Matching Avey's one with a much brighter one - perhaps fueled by relief, perhaps just be genuine goodwill - K'del says, firmly, "Good. Glad to hear it. You'll let me know if there is anything, right?" It's something he's probably repeated half a million times, over the past couple of months. One hand runs through his hair as he adds, "Good: I'm doing good. Even managed time for a swim, earlier." And a drink, now, apparently, though he's without one for now.
"I don't know," Avey says drily as she glances down at her belly. "Can you exert your weyrleaderly authority and order him - her - them? to hurry it up?" She reaches over to touch one of his hands lightly with her fingers, and adds in a more normal tone, "Saw the healers again this morning. They said any day now. It's really nothing to worry about. It'll all be fine." Now she sounds like she's trying to convince herself.
K'del's other hand swoops in to cover Avey's fingers, to squeeze, gently. "Can give it a try," he declares, with a long glance at Avey's belly. "Maybe if I think /really/ hard at-- him/her/them/whatever. C'/mon/ baby." Giving her hand another squeeze, he adds, glancing back up at Avey with an encouraging smile. "It /will/ be. You're going to do great. It's all going to be fine, /promise/."
"Have you thought of any good girl names?" Avey asks. "I still can't think of any. I don't know, our names just don't mix up that well for a girl, but Kasey is /perfect/. I hope it's a boy." She winds her fingers through his, not willing to give up the contact quite yet. She uses her other hand to sip from her drink. "I guess there could be a girl Kasey," she says thoughtfully.
It doesn't seem to bother K'del any, the contact of their hands: he keeps both in position, squeezing again as her fingers wind through his. "Reckon it could be," he agrees. "Kasey's good. Suppose it could be... Kasavey? For a girl? Dunno. This name stuff is hard." Grinning, he adds, "Wouldn't mind a boy, myself. But as long as he or she is healthy, you know? Want all of you healthy."
"Yeah, true. But a boy would be more fun," Avey says. "I mean, can you imagine me with a girl baby? Especially if she turned out to be a /normal/ girl. What would I do, put her hair in curlers? I'd have to just foster her out and then people would give me cross-eyed looks, like, 'What, you can't even take care of your baby a little in an interval?' and then I'd have to go off and live on an island somewhere to get away from it all and it would suck." A brief pause. "Unless it was a good island, I suppose."
K'del doesn't entirely manage to keep his amusement at this scenario under wraps; lips twitching merrily, he's silent for a moment until he can manage, without laughing, "A good island with an unlimited supply of bronzeriders, lots of fresh fruit and clean water, and-- I dunno, other awesome stuff? Mm. Well. Maybe a boy /would/ be better, in that case."
Avey giggles. "If it's got bronzeriders and water, I think I'd be good," she says. "Be nice when I can fly again, I'll have to keep looking, see if I can find an island like that. There's bound to be one /somewhere/, don't you think?" Her smile now is far less forced, and grateful, too, for the cheering-up.
"Bronzerider Island," says K'del, semi-formally, despite his grin. "Avey's paradise." He's obviously genuinely pleased by her increased good humour. "Mm, I'll bet. And sure, I don't see why there couldn't be. Plenty of islands out there, right? Plenty of ocean, too. We just haven't bothered to look far enough, I guess."
"Yeah," Avey agrees. "Which is funny, isn't it? You'd think people would want to know about the whole ocean. I guess you can't really do this sort of thing when there's Thread. I used to think it sucked that we didn't have any Thread to fight when I was a weyrling, but I guess this is better really."
Head tilting sideways in thought, K'del pauses a moment, and then nods. "Know what you mean. Always felt like-- just born a few turns too late, I guess. On the other hand, I prefer Cadejoth and me not all scarred up, and anyway: you're right. Having the freedom to do this kind of stuff is kind of fun. Like... if there was usable land out there? We could totally just go ahead and use it, and not have to worry."
"Yes, only if people lived there - and got used to living there - then next time Thread came, well, that would be bad," Avey points out. "I guess they could just move, next Pass. It's so long away, and everything." She shifts in her chair, making a face as she tries to get comfortable. Then? She farts. "Oops," she says, with a sheepish little giggle. "Uh... sorry."
Silence for a moment, and then? K'del begins to laugh, though he waves his hand around as if trying to dispel the smell. "Yikes!" he teases, though obviously only in jest. "Wooo-eee." Pause. "What were we saying? Oh - right. Yeah, I suppose that's true. Wouldn't want to uproot them all, I guess. Seems like forever away, but... hm."
Avey sticks her tongue out at K'del. "You try having a baby bouncing up and down on your insides and see if you can hold it," she says. Then, she asks, "How's Milani doing, anyway?" Speaking of babies.
K'del only grins. "Not exactly the best at keeping it in /normally/," he points out, which is not too far from the truth. He's a guy, after all. "Milani's doing okay. I think it's all-- harder on her, this time? She seems tired a lot. But we were able to go to a gather, a little while ago, and just... that was nice."
"Oh, that is nice," Avey says wistfully. "I haven't been able to go anywhere for ages, they don't want me riding at all. Well, I guess it wouldn't matter as much now, but when they were worried about the birth coming early - you know. There was this whole long list of things I couldn't do and this sucks, let's not talk about it. It'll be soon enough anyway and then I can do everything." She wrinkles her nose, then puts a smile on again. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be all complainy."
K'del's expression is apologetic, and his hands tighten on Avey's encouragingly. "Yeah," he agrees, wrinkling his nose, too, in recollection. But Avey's determination puts a smile back onto his face, too, and he nods firmly. "Right! Any day now, it'll all be done, and then thigns will be back to normal. And-- seriously? Don't worry about it. You can complain if you like. Reckon I would, too."
"Yeah. Well. It was my choice," Avey says, and shrugs. "And, yeah. So, um... been doing any interesting weyrleader things lately?"
"Even so," says K'del, firmly: he's taking some responsibility for this, all the same. "You wouldn't have made it, if it weren't for me. Well... took a walkthrough of the craft complex, the other day. Learned something about making soap, and how to spin thread, and-- all kinds of stuff. It's kind of cool, really. Seeing all that stuff be made in the weyr, you know?"
"Oh, I didn't know weyrleaders have to know about making soap," Avey says in surprise. "Sounds fun, I guess? One of my friends does, um. Embroidery. I wouldn't have the patience, but she makes really pretty pillows and things like that. She's going to do some baby stuff, she said. I told her she didn't have to, but you know how it is."
K'del laughs, head shaking. "Don't, really. Just-- figure it's good to show an interest, right? There's not a lot else going on at the moment, anyway. Quiet. Almost too quiet, you know?" He looks pleased as he adds, "Reckon it's nice, that she is. Baby stuff. It's good. Think my mother is going to send some stuff over, too. She's-- so pleased." His eyes roll, slightly. "Though I think she'd be more pleased if I wasn't having two at once, you know?"
"Really?" Avey seems surprised. "Why?" Isn't more always better? "That's nice of her, to send stuff. Maybe I'll have a boy and Milani will have a girl, and that way no matter what she sends you can use it."
K'del shrugs his shoulders, but has an answer all the same: "Holdbred, remember. She'd be happiest if I was securely married - weyrmated, whatever - and having child after child with the same woman. But she's pleased, anyway. Reckon she's learning to deal." He considers for a moment, then nods, looking pleased. "One of each. That'd be good, wouldn't it? Two red-headed babies, maybe."
"Maybe!" Avey says with a grin. "I guess we can always dye their hair, if you want," she teases. She rolls her shoulders and tilts her head for the 'holdbred' part. "Even some of the weyrfolks are a little weird about it, I was surprised. People will be like 'You're having a baby with the /weyrleader/?' But maybe that's just because, you know. Weyrleader."
"No!" The idea seems to offend K'del - in a joking kind of way. "No. Reckon I'll adore my red-headed babies. Or my blonde babies. Or... my brown haired ones, only I reckon that might be more concerning, right?" Teasing, teasing. "Yeah, people're weird. Guess it might just be the Weyrleader thing. Or the reputation thing: two at once, all that. I dunno. People-- just like to judge, maybe."
"They do! But, they shut up right quick when I give them the Look, so it's all fine," Avey says. Just for practice, or maybe to demonstrate, she fixes K'del with what must be the Look.
K'del gives The Look one glance, then ducks his gaze. "Yikes," he tells her, laughing. "I pity our poor child, if that's what you end up using to tell him or her 'no'."
"Well, if he or she asks me what I was doing having a baby with the /weyrleader/, he or she will have it coming," Avey retorts with a grin. "...fortunately, that seems unlikely."
K'del outright snickers at that, admitting, "I /hope/ it's unlikely. 'course, chances of me still being Weyrleader when he or she is old enough to ask that question... who knows." Which makes him look, briefly, thoughtful.
"Well, I mean, he caught her twice, so it's not like it's a fluke," Avey points out. "Besides, you're not -- you're older now, so it's not as... um." There's no good way out of this is there? She just smiles.
No doubt, K'del has heard this so often that it no longer actually causes him to do more than roll his eyes. "Not as dumb? Not as 'tee hee, teenage weyrleader'. Yeah." Mostly, he seems entirely okay with it. "Guess we'll see. Doesn't matter, anyway. Win, lose, I'll deal. Not like I define myself by the position, or anything."
"I wouldn't say dumb," Avey says, with a grin. "But well, you know. I bet it would be weird, though. To be weyrleader and then suddenly... not, anymore. I guess it doesn't change the important things. Like it's not like your dragon goes away or anything."
"I dunno," says K'del. "It felt pretty dumb for me. A seventeen turn old weyrleader? Wasn't even old enough to be a Journeyman, you know?" He shakes his head at the memory, then adds, "Guess it probably would be. Have to move out of my weyr, which'd be inconvenient. Earn less. Take orders from someone I used to give orders to... but I reckon I'd deal, anyway. Since-- yeah. Still have Cadejoth. Still have everything else."
"I'd let you be top bronzerider at Bronzerider Island," Avey offers playfully. "If you wanted. Well, and if you could do the work. Are you good at laying around on the beach and looking good?"
K'del's eyes widen in gratified surprise - or the teasing version thereof. "You /would/. Such an honour!" Though he has to consider for a moment before he allows, "Reckon I /might/ be up to the task. Do have /some/ experience... do you need references?"
Avey laughs. "Well, references are alright, but really we'd probably just have to give you a trial period and see how you do," she says. "That's the only way to be /sure/."
K'del considers this, apparently seriously, for a few moments, and then nods his assent. "Suppose you're probably right, in the end. Wouldn't want to trust someone else's word, only to have their idea of 'good' be entirely different to yours. It'd be awkward.
"Exaaaacly!" Avey says with an exaggerated hand gesture of agreement. "You get it. ...oh, there are a few other duties, too. Nothing big. You have to do guy stuff, like killing bugs every now and then, or maybe taking out the trash."
"/Other/ duties. That wasn't men-- oh." K'del raises his eyebrows. "Well. Reckon I could probably manage that. Killing bugs, trash: yeah, that's probably okay. Suppose it's fair, even." And on the conversation goes, in a similarly silly vein, until it's time to move on with the rest of the day.
Location: Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
Synopsis: K'del and Avey talk about their soon-to-be-born child, and other, mostly silly, stuff.
Snowasis, High Reaches Weyr
The Snowasis is rarely quiet, and even then, the high-ceilinged former weyr is kept from echoing by the fantastical booths tucked into its convoluted perimeter. The secluded seating spaces have been shaped from the truncated stalagmites that escaped the smoothing of the main floor, and are both softened and separated by colorful hangings that are thick and opaque enough to make each corner its own private nook.
Some of the smaller stalactites still roam the ceiling, their jagged teeth tracing a bumpy, inverted spine to the hearth. There, a thick rug with a low klah table and comfortable armchairs and couches sit, their upholstery and cushions changed sporadically to match the season: bright, light colors in the summer, fresh greens and yellows in the spring, warm autumnals in fall, and clear, rich hues for winter. Small tables litter the rest of the cavern, enough to fit up to four people each, while stools stand along the smooth wooden bar behind which is the passthrough window to the kitchen. Glass-paneled cabinetry behind the bar provides a clear view of the available liquors, the many colors reflecting the soft light of glows tucked into strategic niches around the cavern.
Avey is sitting at a table in a corner off by herself, having a drink. She looks hugely pregnant, and hot, and sweaty, and tired, and vaguely put out with the universe. She alternately watches people pass by her table, and just stares off into space.
"How're you feeling?" asks K'del, with the air of one who knows it's all his fault, and that the question probably isn't the best one to ask right now, not that it stops him from looking hopeful and encouraging, too. He slides into the seat across from Avey, having crossed from the entrance in record time. "Can I get you anything? Do anything?"
Avey blinks as she's drawn out of her thoughts. "Oh, hi," she says, and then manages to summon a smile for K'del: all part of her resolve to be a good sport about this. "Thanks. I think I'm okay," she says, tilting her half full glass slightly. "I'm not supposed to overdo it, you know? ...how are you doing?"
Matching Avey's one with a much brighter one - perhaps fueled by relief, perhaps just be genuine goodwill - K'del says, firmly, "Good. Glad to hear it. You'll let me know if there is anything, right?" It's something he's probably repeated half a million times, over the past couple of months. One hand runs through his hair as he adds, "Good: I'm doing good. Even managed time for a swim, earlier." And a drink, now, apparently, though he's without one for now.
"I don't know," Avey says drily as she glances down at her belly. "Can you exert your weyrleaderly authority and order him - her - them? to hurry it up?" She reaches over to touch one of his hands lightly with her fingers, and adds in a more normal tone, "Saw the healers again this morning. They said any day now. It's really nothing to worry about. It'll all be fine." Now she sounds like she's trying to convince herself.
K'del's other hand swoops in to cover Avey's fingers, to squeeze, gently. "Can give it a try," he declares, with a long glance at Avey's belly. "Maybe if I think /really/ hard at-- him/her/them/whatever. C'/mon/ baby." Giving her hand another squeeze, he adds, glancing back up at Avey with an encouraging smile. "It /will/ be. You're going to do great. It's all going to be fine, /promise/."
"Have you thought of any good girl names?" Avey asks. "I still can't think of any. I don't know, our names just don't mix up that well for a girl, but Kasey is /perfect/. I hope it's a boy." She winds her fingers through his, not willing to give up the contact quite yet. She uses her other hand to sip from her drink. "I guess there could be a girl Kasey," she says thoughtfully.
It doesn't seem to bother K'del any, the contact of their hands: he keeps both in position, squeezing again as her fingers wind through his. "Reckon it could be," he agrees. "Kasey's good. Suppose it could be... Kasavey? For a girl? Dunno. This name stuff is hard." Grinning, he adds, "Wouldn't mind a boy, myself. But as long as he or she is healthy, you know? Want all of you healthy."
"Yeah, true. But a boy would be more fun," Avey says. "I mean, can you imagine me with a girl baby? Especially if she turned out to be a /normal/ girl. What would I do, put her hair in curlers? I'd have to just foster her out and then people would give me cross-eyed looks, like, 'What, you can't even take care of your baby a little in an interval?' and then I'd have to go off and live on an island somewhere to get away from it all and it would suck." A brief pause. "Unless it was a good island, I suppose."
K'del doesn't entirely manage to keep his amusement at this scenario under wraps; lips twitching merrily, he's silent for a moment until he can manage, without laughing, "A good island with an unlimited supply of bronzeriders, lots of fresh fruit and clean water, and-- I dunno, other awesome stuff? Mm. Well. Maybe a boy /would/ be better, in that case."
Avey giggles. "If it's got bronzeriders and water, I think I'd be good," she says. "Be nice when I can fly again, I'll have to keep looking, see if I can find an island like that. There's bound to be one /somewhere/, don't you think?" Her smile now is far less forced, and grateful, too, for the cheering-up.
"Bronzerider Island," says K'del, semi-formally, despite his grin. "Avey's paradise." He's obviously genuinely pleased by her increased good humour. "Mm, I'll bet. And sure, I don't see why there couldn't be. Plenty of islands out there, right? Plenty of ocean, too. We just haven't bothered to look far enough, I guess."
"Yeah," Avey agrees. "Which is funny, isn't it? You'd think people would want to know about the whole ocean. I guess you can't really do this sort of thing when there's Thread. I used to think it sucked that we didn't have any Thread to fight when I was a weyrling, but I guess this is better really."
Head tilting sideways in thought, K'del pauses a moment, and then nods. "Know what you mean. Always felt like-- just born a few turns too late, I guess. On the other hand, I prefer Cadejoth and me not all scarred up, and anyway: you're right. Having the freedom to do this kind of stuff is kind of fun. Like... if there was usable land out there? We could totally just go ahead and use it, and not have to worry."
"Yes, only if people lived there - and got used to living there - then next time Thread came, well, that would be bad," Avey points out. "I guess they could just move, next Pass. It's so long away, and everything." She shifts in her chair, making a face as she tries to get comfortable. Then? She farts. "Oops," she says, with a sheepish little giggle. "Uh... sorry."
Silence for a moment, and then? K'del begins to laugh, though he waves his hand around as if trying to dispel the smell. "Yikes!" he teases, though obviously only in jest. "Wooo-eee." Pause. "What were we saying? Oh - right. Yeah, I suppose that's true. Wouldn't want to uproot them all, I guess. Seems like forever away, but... hm."
Avey sticks her tongue out at K'del. "You try having a baby bouncing up and down on your insides and see if you can hold it," she says. Then, she asks, "How's Milani doing, anyway?" Speaking of babies.
K'del only grins. "Not exactly the best at keeping it in /normally/," he points out, which is not too far from the truth. He's a guy, after all. "Milani's doing okay. I think it's all-- harder on her, this time? She seems tired a lot. But we were able to go to a gather, a little while ago, and just... that was nice."
"Oh, that is nice," Avey says wistfully. "I haven't been able to go anywhere for ages, they don't want me riding at all. Well, I guess it wouldn't matter as much now, but when they were worried about the birth coming early - you know. There was this whole long list of things I couldn't do and this sucks, let's not talk about it. It'll be soon enough anyway and then I can do everything." She wrinkles her nose, then puts a smile on again. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be all complainy."
K'del's expression is apologetic, and his hands tighten on Avey's encouragingly. "Yeah," he agrees, wrinkling his nose, too, in recollection. But Avey's determination puts a smile back onto his face, too, and he nods firmly. "Right! Any day now, it'll all be done, and then thigns will be back to normal. And-- seriously? Don't worry about it. You can complain if you like. Reckon I would, too."
"Yeah. Well. It was my choice," Avey says, and shrugs. "And, yeah. So, um... been doing any interesting weyrleader things lately?"
"Even so," says K'del, firmly: he's taking some responsibility for this, all the same. "You wouldn't have made it, if it weren't for me. Well... took a walkthrough of the craft complex, the other day. Learned something about making soap, and how to spin thread, and-- all kinds of stuff. It's kind of cool, really. Seeing all that stuff be made in the weyr, you know?"
"Oh, I didn't know weyrleaders have to know about making soap," Avey says in surprise. "Sounds fun, I guess? One of my friends does, um. Embroidery. I wouldn't have the patience, but she makes really pretty pillows and things like that. She's going to do some baby stuff, she said. I told her she didn't have to, but you know how it is."
K'del laughs, head shaking. "Don't, really. Just-- figure it's good to show an interest, right? There's not a lot else going on at the moment, anyway. Quiet. Almost too quiet, you know?" He looks pleased as he adds, "Reckon it's nice, that she is. Baby stuff. It's good. Think my mother is going to send some stuff over, too. She's-- so pleased." His eyes roll, slightly. "Though I think she'd be more pleased if I wasn't having two at once, you know?"
"Really?" Avey seems surprised. "Why?" Isn't more always better? "That's nice of her, to send stuff. Maybe I'll have a boy and Milani will have a girl, and that way no matter what she sends you can use it."
K'del shrugs his shoulders, but has an answer all the same: "Holdbred, remember. She'd be happiest if I was securely married - weyrmated, whatever - and having child after child with the same woman. But she's pleased, anyway. Reckon she's learning to deal." He considers for a moment, then nods, looking pleased. "One of each. That'd be good, wouldn't it? Two red-headed babies, maybe."
"Maybe!" Avey says with a grin. "I guess we can always dye their hair, if you want," she teases. She rolls her shoulders and tilts her head for the 'holdbred' part. "Even some of the weyrfolks are a little weird about it, I was surprised. People will be like 'You're having a baby with the /weyrleader/?' But maybe that's just because, you know. Weyrleader."
"No!" The idea seems to offend K'del - in a joking kind of way. "No. Reckon I'll adore my red-headed babies. Or my blonde babies. Or... my brown haired ones, only I reckon that might be more concerning, right?" Teasing, teasing. "Yeah, people're weird. Guess it might just be the Weyrleader thing. Or the reputation thing: two at once, all that. I dunno. People-- just like to judge, maybe."
"They do! But, they shut up right quick when I give them the Look, so it's all fine," Avey says. Just for practice, or maybe to demonstrate, she fixes K'del with what must be the Look.
K'del gives The Look one glance, then ducks his gaze. "Yikes," he tells her, laughing. "I pity our poor child, if that's what you end up using to tell him or her 'no'."
"Well, if he or she asks me what I was doing having a baby with the /weyrleader/, he or she will have it coming," Avey retorts with a grin. "...fortunately, that seems unlikely."
K'del outright snickers at that, admitting, "I /hope/ it's unlikely. 'course, chances of me still being Weyrleader when he or she is old enough to ask that question... who knows." Which makes him look, briefly, thoughtful.
"Well, I mean, he caught her twice, so it's not like it's a fluke," Avey points out. "Besides, you're not -- you're older now, so it's not as... um." There's no good way out of this is there? She just smiles.
No doubt, K'del has heard this so often that it no longer actually causes him to do more than roll his eyes. "Not as dumb? Not as 'tee hee, teenage weyrleader'. Yeah." Mostly, he seems entirely okay with it. "Guess we'll see. Doesn't matter, anyway. Win, lose, I'll deal. Not like I define myself by the position, or anything."
"I wouldn't say dumb," Avey says, with a grin. "But well, you know. I bet it would be weird, though. To be weyrleader and then suddenly... not, anymore. I guess it doesn't change the important things. Like it's not like your dragon goes away or anything."
"I dunno," says K'del. "It felt pretty dumb for me. A seventeen turn old weyrleader? Wasn't even old enough to be a Journeyman, you know?" He shakes his head at the memory, then adds, "Guess it probably would be. Have to move out of my weyr, which'd be inconvenient. Earn less. Take orders from someone I used to give orders to... but I reckon I'd deal, anyway. Since-- yeah. Still have Cadejoth. Still have everything else."
"I'd let you be top bronzerider at Bronzerider Island," Avey offers playfully. "If you wanted. Well, and if you could do the work. Are you good at laying around on the beach and looking good?"
K'del's eyes widen in gratified surprise - or the teasing version thereof. "You /would/. Such an honour!" Though he has to consider for a moment before he allows, "Reckon I /might/ be up to the task. Do have /some/ experience... do you need references?"
Avey laughs. "Well, references are alright, but really we'd probably just have to give you a trial period and see how you do," she says. "That's the only way to be /sure/."
K'del considers this, apparently seriously, for a few moments, and then nods his assent. "Suppose you're probably right, in the end. Wouldn't want to trust someone else's word, only to have their idea of 'good' be entirely different to yours. It'd be awkward.
"Exaaaacly!" Avey says with an exaggerated hand gesture of agreement. "You get it. ...oh, there are a few other duties, too. Nothing big. You have to do guy stuff, like killing bugs every now and then, or maybe taking out the trash."
"/Other/ duties. That wasn't men-- oh." K'del raises his eyebrows. "Well. Reckon I could probably manage that. Killing bugs, trash: yeah, that's probably okay. Suppose it's fair, even." And on the conversation goes, in a similarly silly vein, until it's time to move on with the rest of the day.