NaNo! The homestretch!
We're on the homestretch! The count down to 50K is now in three digits rather than four or five...!
Not that my story is finished yet, I probably need another 20 - 30K for that so I'm now setting the goal for the endof november at 65K I think.. just to keep me going.. and if that goes well maybe 70K or more... we'll see.
For now here, have some.
He muttered something dark under his breath, somehow hating that idea of having a reputation for being dangerous. It wasn’t as if he ever did anything bad on his own accord, it was always Cedric telling him what to do, where to go, so why was he the one with the reputation…? He shrugged off the idea, figuring it was probably vastly exaggerated and the young lord was probably just skittish.
With big steps he made his way down the hallway, taking a short cut via the servants stairs to the kitchens, hoping he’d find Rochelle there. He’d searched almost the whole castle for her already, all the places he could imagine her liking and then some more, but the kitchens he hadn’t checked. It made sense though, gypsies were busy people they didn’t like sitting around being idle form what he gathered. As he neared the kitchens he could feel the warmth from it wafting up along with the wonderful smells of the food they were preparing there. There was one more reason why one would voluntarily go to the kitchen. It was always warm there, no matter how cold the winter got and there was always the nice warm smell of bread and whatever dish was being prepared.
He pushed the door open, almost being ran into by a young servant girl with a big platter. She startled and pressed herself flat against the wall, looking at him with big eyes. Okay, so maybe he was a little intimidating to kids, but adults? He stepped aside, holding the door open for her and giving her plenty of room to pass him in the narrow servant’s passage. She shuffled past him and then mumbled a thank you and quickly bounded off to go deliver the breakfast she’d been carrying.
Once she’d passed he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes fell immediately on a plate of hot rolls fresh out of one of the ovens. He resisted the temptation, even if it was only barely and walked further into the kitchen, looking around for Rochelle.
He spotted her fairly soon, amused by the sight of her. Despite being a princess and soon to become a northern noble as well she blended in very well with the staff. He dark hair was tied up messily, out of her face leaving her neck and shoulders bare. Her shirt was dirty already and her sleeves rolled up past her elbow, she looked just like any other member off the staff except a bit better groomed. Her hands were deep into a bowl of … something he couldn’t quite identify and she looked to be quite amused. Slowly he drew closer to her, peering into the bowl, seeing what appeared to be stuffing in it. It didn’t look to tasteful right now and he almost made a face.
“…You realize we have servants for this, right…?” He asked a bit mockingly. She practically jumped and turned half to look at him, not taking her hands out of the bowl of goo.
“Oh, it’s you…” She said when she saw him breathing a sigh of relieve. “You startled me.” She added accusingly, turning back to the goo in the bowl.
“I apologize…” He said politely, looking at what she was doing.
“And I know you have a lot of servants, but I like to make myself useful. What’s wrong with that?” She asked him cheerfully, shooting him a winning smile.
“Well… nothing I suppose.” He responded dully. “What’s it supposed to be though…?” He asked out of sheer curiosity as he saw her fingers mesh the goo up a bit more.
“It’s stuffing!” She said cheerfully, holding up a handful of the goo.
“Stuffing for what…?” He asked a bit puzzled, not sure how cooking was usually done.
“The turkey.” She responded, pointing one dirty finger at the naked bird on the table next to them.
“I see…” He answered. “Could stuffing the turkey wait…? The prince wants to see you…”
“Is he sick?” She counter questioned simply. He shook his head a little.
“No, not sick, I don’t know what he wants.”
“Well then he can wait until I’m done stuffing.” She said shortly, grabbing the turkey and drawing it a little closer to her. “I just have to figure out how to do it properly…”
He looked from her to the bird and back, wondering that himself now and watched her attempts at getting the gooey stuffing in the bird with some faint amusement. It didn’t seem too hard in theory but the practice of it apparently was a lot more difficult.
“Don’t laugh at me..!” She chided, having apparently noticed his amusement as well. “I’ve never done this before!”
“Can’t someone show you how?” He asked dryly, ever efficient.
“Where’s the fun in that?” She countered dryly. He paused and looked at her, wondering if she was serious but he couldn’t find anything to indicate she was joking.
“… How long have you been trying…?” He asked, just to be sure he wasn’t completely wasting his time waiting on her.
“Oh about half an hour…” She said innocently, shooting him a charming grin that made her look much younger than she really was.
“Half an hour?” He questioned and she only nodded in reply. “Just ask someone.” He told her sternly.
“Fine, dear Senna, how do I stuff a turkey?” She asked with a chuckle, once more trying to get the stuffing into the bird but failing just as miserably, ending up with the stuffing on the table rather than in the bird.
“Me? I was more thinking about one of the kitchen staff, who know how to do it…” He said with a small grin, not moving his hands form behind his back to help her.
“Oh come on, you’re the prince’ bond and the way he talks about you makes believe you can do anything!” She said melodramatically. “Save me from this turkey woe…!”
He chuckled at her antics and the dramatic pose she struck.
“I’ve never cooked in my life.” He said calmly, not too sure if stuffing a turkey was really considered cooking. “How about I start off trying to make scrambled eggs?”
“Oh come on, be a man…!” She challenged impishly, shoving the bowl of stuffing at his chest.
He looked at it and paused for a moment, taking a small step back and looking at her.
She looked back at him, her head cocked a little as if challenging him. He snorted, wondering if he’d lost his mind for this but brought his hand to the front of his body and quickly pulled up his sleeves.
“Hand me that turkey, I’m ending this now…” He said ominously, grabbing the bowl of stuffing from her.
Not that my story is finished yet, I probably need another 20 - 30K for that so I'm now setting the goal for the endof november at 65K I think.. just to keep me going.. and if that goes well maybe 70K or more... we'll see.
For now here, have some.
He muttered something dark under his breath, somehow hating that idea of having a reputation for being dangerous. It wasn’t as if he ever did anything bad on his own accord, it was always Cedric telling him what to do, where to go, so why was he the one with the reputation…? He shrugged off the idea, figuring it was probably vastly exaggerated and the young lord was probably just skittish.
With big steps he made his way down the hallway, taking a short cut via the servants stairs to the kitchens, hoping he’d find Rochelle there. He’d searched almost the whole castle for her already, all the places he could imagine her liking and then some more, but the kitchens he hadn’t checked. It made sense though, gypsies were busy people they didn’t like sitting around being idle form what he gathered. As he neared the kitchens he could feel the warmth from it wafting up along with the wonderful smells of the food they were preparing there. There was one more reason why one would voluntarily go to the kitchen. It was always warm there, no matter how cold the winter got and there was always the nice warm smell of bread and whatever dish was being prepared.
He pushed the door open, almost being ran into by a young servant girl with a big platter. She startled and pressed herself flat against the wall, looking at him with big eyes. Okay, so maybe he was a little intimidating to kids, but adults? He stepped aside, holding the door open for her and giving her plenty of room to pass him in the narrow servant’s passage. She shuffled past him and then mumbled a thank you and quickly bounded off to go deliver the breakfast she’d been carrying.
Once she’d passed he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes fell immediately on a plate of hot rolls fresh out of one of the ovens. He resisted the temptation, even if it was only barely and walked further into the kitchen, looking around for Rochelle.
He spotted her fairly soon, amused by the sight of her. Despite being a princess and soon to become a northern noble as well she blended in very well with the staff. He dark hair was tied up messily, out of her face leaving her neck and shoulders bare. Her shirt was dirty already and her sleeves rolled up past her elbow, she looked just like any other member off the staff except a bit better groomed. Her hands were deep into a bowl of … something he couldn’t quite identify and she looked to be quite amused. Slowly he drew closer to her, peering into the bowl, seeing what appeared to be stuffing in it. It didn’t look to tasteful right now and he almost made a face.
“…You realize we have servants for this, right…?” He asked a bit mockingly. She practically jumped and turned half to look at him, not taking her hands out of the bowl of goo.
“Oh, it’s you…” She said when she saw him breathing a sigh of relieve. “You startled me.” She added accusingly, turning back to the goo in the bowl.
“I apologize…” He said politely, looking at what she was doing.
“And I know you have a lot of servants, but I like to make myself useful. What’s wrong with that?” She asked him cheerfully, shooting him a winning smile.
“Well… nothing I suppose.” He responded dully. “What’s it supposed to be though…?” He asked out of sheer curiosity as he saw her fingers mesh the goo up a bit more.
“It’s stuffing!” She said cheerfully, holding up a handful of the goo.
“Stuffing for what…?” He asked a bit puzzled, not sure how cooking was usually done.
“The turkey.” She responded, pointing one dirty finger at the naked bird on the table next to them.
“I see…” He answered. “Could stuffing the turkey wait…? The prince wants to see you…”
“Is he sick?” She counter questioned simply. He shook his head a little.
“No, not sick, I don’t know what he wants.”
“Well then he can wait until I’m done stuffing.” She said shortly, grabbing the turkey and drawing it a little closer to her. “I just have to figure out how to do it properly…”
He looked from her to the bird and back, wondering that himself now and watched her attempts at getting the gooey stuffing in the bird with some faint amusement. It didn’t seem too hard in theory but the practice of it apparently was a lot more difficult.
“Don’t laugh at me..!” She chided, having apparently noticed his amusement as well. “I’ve never done this before!”
“Can’t someone show you how?” He asked dryly, ever efficient.
“Where’s the fun in that?” She countered dryly. He paused and looked at her, wondering if she was serious but he couldn’t find anything to indicate she was joking.
“… How long have you been trying…?” He asked, just to be sure he wasn’t completely wasting his time waiting on her.
“Oh about half an hour…” She said innocently, shooting him a charming grin that made her look much younger than she really was.
“Half an hour?” He questioned and she only nodded in reply. “Just ask someone.” He told her sternly.
“Fine, dear Senna, how do I stuff a turkey?” She asked with a chuckle, once more trying to get the stuffing into the bird but failing just as miserably, ending up with the stuffing on the table rather than in the bird.
“Me? I was more thinking about one of the kitchen staff, who know how to do it…” He said with a small grin, not moving his hands form behind his back to help her.
“Oh come on, you’re the prince’ bond and the way he talks about you makes believe you can do anything!” She said melodramatically. “Save me from this turkey woe…!”
He chuckled at her antics and the dramatic pose she struck.
“I’ve never cooked in my life.” He said calmly, not too sure if stuffing a turkey was really considered cooking. “How about I start off trying to make scrambled eggs?”
“Oh come on, be a man…!” She challenged impishly, shoving the bowl of stuffing at his chest.
He looked at it and paused for a moment, taking a small step back and looking at her.
She looked back at him, her head cocked a little as if challenging him. He snorted, wondering if he’d lost his mind for this but brought his hand to the front of his body and quickly pulled up his sleeves.
“Hand me that turkey, I’m ending this now…” He said ominously, grabbing the bowl of stuffing from her.