Sweet Treats and New Friends

Writers: Ames, Eimi
Date Posted: 16th July 2010

Characters: Cardella, U'kaiah, Kaiafel
Description: Kaiafel gets caught stealing bubbly pies and makes a new friend in Cardella.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 26 of Turn 5

Cardella

They were just sitting there... Taunting him... Freshly backed bubblies.
Kaiafel could smell them from the corridors as he walked through.
Walking past the table, he looked up into the corners of the room,
anywhere but at the table itself. He had experience with this sort of
thing, though. His hand quickly reached out, swiping one of the pies
off the tray and quickly stuffing it into his pocket as if nothing had
happened.

**Still warm...* he thought with a pleased little smirk.

He knew he'd be meeting his father soon, and Kaiafel had always been
taught to share. One more wouldn't hurt. Trying the same tactic
again, he passed by the table on the other side. This time, he hadn't
counted on being watched!

Cardella had settled into life at the Weyr quite well since her
arrival. Though she'd hardly spoken to many of the others outside of
the kitchen staff since her arrival, Cardella was content. She'd spent
the morning making the sweetest bubbly pies for the evening meal and
set them out out to cool. That was when she'd gone back into the back
room to gather supplies to work on her next treat---a sweet cake with
a delicious frosting.

When Cardella arrived back into the main kitchens and placed her
ingredients on her counter, she just so happened to catch movement out
of the corner of her eye. A young boy was sliding his fingers onto her
cooling counter as though to snatch one of her sweet pies. Grabbing
her mixing spoon and using it like a weapon, Cardella pounced.

"Don't you dare!" Normally quiet and shy, Cardella was not about to
let this young lad steal her mornings labors. She glared at him, spoon
poised to strike that wayward hand if it dared touch that pie. That
was when she noticed that a pie was already missing!

Kaiafel's deep brown eyes grew large, and his lower lip trembled ever so
slightly. "But... It's for my Da. He loves bubblies. And they smell
so good..."

Cardella's spoon-weapon dropped to the table the moment she saw that
quivering lip. It seemed to tug at her heart. Still, she had promised
Tatitem, the Headwoman, that she would prepare these special treats
for the evening meal. It would not do to have less than promised.

"You can have one at the evening meal. Not now." Cardella's tone of
voice had softened, but she was still firm in her resolve to protect
her precious pies. "They do smell good though, don't they?" She
whispered, giving the young boy a small smile.

He nodded, still pouting. "But I'm meeting my Da now..."

The look in his eyes nearly had Cardella backing down. She didn't want
to displease anyone, but she couldn't lose all her bubbly pies to
eager hands before the meal. Suddenly, she had an idea. Leaning across
the table, she asked, "Do you have a few moments? If you help me with
something then I think we can arrange a deal." She grinned at him,
hoping he would accept.

Kaiafel thought about it a moment... After all, he _did_ already have
one in his pocket, and that was enough for him. But he was curious.
"What do you want me to do?"

Cardella felt a surge of triumph at his curious tone. She turned and
picked up a large bowl to show him. "You see this. I've promised that
I would make some special cookies for the meal." She set the bowl down
and looked him square in the eye. "But, the cookies I want to make
require quite a bit of work. Now if I had another pair of hands..."
her voice trailed off as she looked down at his hands and then back to
his face.

"I'm sure I could reward a helper with a bubbly pie or maybe even some
of the sweet cookies, but I'm sure you're too busy..." she shrugged
alittle, picking up the bowl and turning it to put back on the
counter. She hoped she'd enticed him enough, but Cardella wasn't
really sure. If she had help, she'd be able to make double the cookies
she'd promised and she knew that a few or even a bubbly wouldn't be
missed if she had extras. Still with her back to him, she bit her
bottom lip, waiting to see how he would respond.

Actually _working_ for treats hadn't been what he had in mind. But he
was curious. He'd watched the bakers working away, but the whole
process had seemed rather mysterious. "Ok," he agreed, deciding he'd
give it a try at least.

Cadella almost wanted to cheer the small victory. She'd managed to
turn what could have been a difficult situation for her around to a
pair of helping hands. "Come over here," she gestured him around the
table to her work counter. As she glanced at him, she spoke again,
"You know, if you're going to be my assistant today. I think I should
know your name. I'm Cardella, by the way." She brushed her hands on
the apron she was wearing, reading to dive into the task ahead.

"I'm Kaiafel. Happy to meet you." His attention was already drawn to
what might be in the bowl.

Cardella grabbed a small stool that was kept in the kitchens for
reaching things and brought it over, gesturing for Kaiafel to hop up
and use it so he could see the counter.

"Now, I promised I would make a fair share of these crumbly shaped
cookies, but they take time to roll just right. So with your help, we
can make twice as many. First, we've got to make the batter." Cardella
grabbed a scoop of white powder and told Kaiafel, "Flour is at the
heart of most everything I make. Here you put it in." She went to hand
him the scoop, but it slipped before she was able to give it to him.
In a matter of moments, both Cardella and Kaiafel were covered in the
white powdery flour.

Looking at the young boy and herself, Cardella couldn't help it. She
burst out laughing. "Maybe we should try that again," she gasped out
between her giggles.

Kaiafel also couldn't help laughing as he looked at the powder on
Cardella's face. Baking was fun! "You look like a snowman!"

"So do you!" She chuckled back, tossing a sprinkling of the flour at
him.

When she finally got her giggles under control, Cardella showed
Kaiafel how to measure out the ingredients and gave him the first bowl
to mix while she started to fill a second bowl. Extra hands meant more
treats for everyone tonight!

It was some time later when U'kaiah decided he had better go search for
his son. He had thought Kaiafel would have come up to his weyr
earlier.
The boy usually couldn't wait to have a chance to help wash Kalamath!
The one thing U'kaiah knew could sidetrack him, however, was bubbly
pies, and so naturally the first spot he decided to look was in the
kitchens. His suspicion was right.

"What's all this, then?" he asked, hands on his hips as he stood at the
other end of the table. "Young man, have you taken up a craft and
failed to tell me?"

"Da!" Kaiafel grinned, licking dough off his fingers. "I'm making
cookies!"

Cadella had enjoyed the company of the young boy, laughing and talking
with him as they mixed and rolled out the dough, shaping it to fit
what she had in mind. Things were going great, until she heard a voice
interrupt their little quiet kitchen.

Whirling around, her eyes a bit wide in surprise, she watched the
exchange between father and son. She bit her lip and wondered if he
was angry with her for having convinced Kaiafel to help her. He looked
familiar. She knew she had seen him around the weyr since she had
arrived, but she could not recall his name. Cardella chided herself
for that slight.

"Good day, sir," she said, starting to bob a curtsy as she would have
done when meeting anyone of import at her father's small hold.
"Kaiafel was just helping me," she added, quietly, averting her eyes
for fear he would be upset with her. That was when she remembered all
the flour that covered her clothes and Kaiafel's as well. They sure
looked a mess. Cardella wanted to stifle a groan.

"Helping out, eh?" U'kaiah crossed his arms over his chest, though his
eyes sparkled with amusement. "You got caught stealing bubblies again,
didn't you."

"I only stole _one_," Kaiafel said defensively, as if that somehow made
it less of an offense.

Suddenly Cardella started to giggle. She pointed her mixing spoon at
Kaifel.

"I _knew_ you had taken one! I just knew there was one missing!" She
laughed, forgetting for the moment to be her usual shy self for a
change. She turned and her eyes with danced in her merriment, turned
to U'kaiah.

"He'd make a fine baker!" She said with a smile, then glancing at him
added, "If he can keep all the ingredients in the bowl."

"You dropped the flour first," Kaiafel shrugged between licks of his
fingers.

Cardella chuckled a bit at that. He was right, after all.

"Oh!" She stated, then turned and hurried over to the special baking
oven. Reaching in with the cloth to protect her hand, she pulled out
the tray. Hurrying over to the counter she set it down.

"Our first ones are finished!" She declared with a look of triumph
towards Kaiafel. "Do you want to try one? They're hot." She turned her
gaze from him to his father, including them both in the offer.

Kaiafel was about to reach for one when his father warned him, "Let them
cool a bit first. They'll turn your hand and tongue if you eat one
now." The bronzerider walked around the table and leaned down to take
a
whiff of the freshly baked treats. "Those smell amazing. You helped
bake those?"

"Uh huh," Kaiafel nodded proudly.

"Nicely done," his father said, giving his curly black mop an
affectionate ruffle. "Maybe you'll be a baker when you grow up, eh?"

"Nuh huh," his son said with a shake of his head, wiping his licked
clean hands on his trousers. "I'm going to be a bronzerider!"

Cardella watched the exchange with a wistful smile, recalling days
spent with her own family. She didn't want to interfere in the
father-son moment. So, instead, she moved back to pick up a second
tray of the cookies that had already been prepared and carried it over
to the baking oven.

Moving back to her work surface she couldn't help but listen.
Suddenly, the whole exchange made her feel very homesick, something
she thought she'd overcome during her years at the Bakercraft Hall.
But that was different, her dad had visited quite often. Would she see
him as much now that she was here? She couldn't help the small sound
that escaped her as she drew in a sad breath. She hoped the pair
hadn't noticed. Spooning up the last of the batter gave her enough
distraction not to dwell on her family overmuch.

"How are they?" She asked, her back still turned in an effort to hide
her feelings until she regained control of herself.

U'kaiah nodded and allowed Kaiafel to touch one. As it seemed cool
enough, on his father's instructions he broke it in half. No steam
rose
out of the middle, so they split the tasty treat.

"Delicious!" was Kaiafel's enthusiastic reply.

"I would have to agree," his Wingleader father nodded.

"I'm glad," Cardella called over her shoulder, having finished placing
the remaining dough onto the tray. Lifting it, she moved to place in
the baking oven.

Turning back to the pair, she dusted off her hands and smiled. "Would
you like to take a few with you? Or maybe that extra bubbly pie we
agreed on, Kaiafel? Payment for your hard work." Cardella had a
strange urge to tousle the young boy's hair, but instead tucked her
hands into her apron. It was not her right to do anything of the sort.
Especially not with his father standing right there.

"Why don't we take some of these cookies, Kaiafel? I think they're
even better than bubblies!" his father suggested, knowing how much work
the
boy had put into them.

Kaiafel wasn't sure he would go _that_ far, but he was pleased that his
father liked them. "Ok! We'll take some cookies, please."

Cardella grinned. "Let me wrap some up for you, so you can enjoy them
later." She moved quickly around the kitchen space getting the
supplies she needed. Then, lifting some of the cookies from the tray,
she soon had a small bundle in her hands.

She turned and handed it to Kaiafel. "Thank you for your help today,"
she said kindly and meant it. "You're welcome to join me anytime
you're free, and we can bake together again."

Then, turning toward his father, Cardella inclined her head. "U'kaiah.
It was very nice to meet you, sir."

"The pleasure was mine, ma'am," he said with a polite bow, and his
infamous bronzerider grin.

Kaiafel held the bundle close and waved to his new friend as they made
their way from the kitchens. He would definitely have to help again, if
it meant more cookies! Next time, maybe he could help make bubbly pies!

Last updated on the July 17th 2010

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Sweet Treats and New Friends