Journeyman Keayd

Writers: Jane, Paula
Date Posted: 20th March 2008

Characters: Teene, Keayd
Description: Teene meets Keayd in the Vintner Hall dining room.
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 4

The foster-mother slipped into the dining hall for the supper that was served later at night once the responsibilities of the masters and journeymen were over and the apprentices were all safely in bed.
Apparently she was allowed to join the crafters for the light meal but Teene still felt a little nervous when she discovered that - as far as she could see - there wasn't another woman in the room.

Keayd was eating later than normal and sitting alone in the table. He had worked long with his pet-project and was still studying the old records he had found when the hall moved to the Amber Hills hold after the earthquake.

Teene lifted her chin and headed to the tables where the food and klah were being served but had to admit to herself that she was glad to see another couple of women as she moved around the groups of men.

Were the men _all_ talking about grapes and wine? Was nobody talking about anything but their craft? She didn't want to wander out of her way to hear what the groups with women in them were discussing but she did wonder. Plate and mug in hand she edged past a couple of intense discussions - about blending and acidity respectively - and over towards the all but unused tables. There was one - She paused beside it. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Huh? What? Oh, sure, please do," Keayd replied, startled out of his reading.

"I won't disturb you," Teene said, setting her plate and mug down and slipping into the chair diagonally across the table from the journeyman about her own age. "Since you're busy."

"Not so busy I would forget my manners. I'm journeyman Keayd," Key replied. He found her pretty, very pretty.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Journeyman. I'm Teene. I'm a foster-mother with one of the Hall families."

"I think I've seen you around. The hallmaster's children?"

"Yes." Teene smiled. "I hope you haven't noticed us because we're doing something we shouldn't."

Key shook his head. "Not that. The previous hallmaster's children were much older, pretty much grown ups. It's nice to have children around."

"Are you saying that because you really like them? Or because you haven't had much to do with children before?" Some people who hadn't had much to do with children had some strange ideas about them, in Teene's opinion.

"I like them, I grew up in a large family and I have plenty of nephews and nieces to know what I'm talking about," Keayd told her.

"Oh, that's all right then. You know they're not as sweet as they look
- or not all of the time, anyway." She looked at his place setting.
"You're not drinking wine," she commented.

"No, I'm not," Key replied with a shrug. He actually had a glass of milk with his food.

Teene's broad face light with amusement. "Don't you like it?"

"I get enough when I am tasting the products before bottling," he shrugged. "Overuse of alcohol is one of the dangers of this craft."

"I suppose it is. The Hallmaster - when I came to live with his family
- he encouraged me to try wine with different foods, to see how that altered the taste. It took a while for me to like it!" Teene admitted with a laugh.

Key smiled at her. She was really nice girl. "I take wine with food on special occasions," he said. He wished he knew how to be witty, to make her laugh more. He liked her laugh.

"Is wine your speciality?" Teene asked, making an effort to ask a sensible question instead of rambling on as she knew she had a tendency to do when she found adult company.

"No, I'm specializing to liqours and brandies," Key replied.

Teene wrinkled her nose in an unconscious statement. "I haven't tried many of those, though I think Master Causton does that, too. Fruit brandies?" she suggested, not exactly sure.

"I'm experimenting with those," Key told her.

"Then you should talk to him! He's very nice."

"I believe he is aware of my project," Key replied, remembering his discussion with the hallmaster soon after his arrival to the hall. Of course, he had been bit on guard back then, with Fielton's sudden replacement.

"That's good. Isn't it?" Without having grown up in the craft hall she knew that she sometimes missed the nuances of the interactions between ranks and specialities.

"I think so," Key shrugged.

Teene beamed. "Do you have a family, Keayd?"

"Of my own? No. Just bunch of brothers and sisters," Key replied.

"Are they close by?"

"Yes, most are resettled into Amber Hills hold or near area," the journeyman said.

"Mine are a long way away now," Teene said with a sigh. "Half a continent away." Then she smiled, and laughed. "I was so keen to travel half-a-continent away! I thought it was exciting. And now I realise just how far away they are. I'm silly, aren't I?"

"I don't think so," Key said, trying not to stare her too much. He realized was getting smitten with her.

Teene smiled at the journeyman's protest and looked down at her plate.
"I seem to have eaten all my supper."

"So did I," Key sounded surprised. He started to gather up the dishes and rolled the hides.

"Here, let me clear and you take your work. It's been nice meeting you, journeyman Keayd."

"No, I'll take your plate. Thanks for the company," Keayd declined her offer, being a gentleman, and started to gather up her dishes too.

"And thank you for yours," Teene said politely, allowing him to take her dishes before realising she couldn't trail him across the room if she wasn't helping. "Good night, Keayd."

"Good night, Teene," Key said. Even her name sounded pleasant to his ears.

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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Journeyman Keayd