| Who | Iliad, Lendai |
|---|---|
| What | Iliad and Lendai happen upon each other in the kitchens. Awkwardness ensues. |
| When | There is 1 turn 4 months and 21 days until the 12th pass. |
| Where | Kitchens, Southern Weyr |
Kitchens
Renowned, the culinary prowress of Southern, and suitable her kitchens to the task. A broad and airy sweep of room, it cannot help the sweat-drenching heat — though hearths are cleverly set within the ground itself to maximize efficiency. Big copper pots gleam along long tables, cooks hustling to and fro to prepare the necessary meals. There is never a candlemark the kitchens are left unstaffed: even in the wee hours of the night, bakers can be seen shaping loaves and mixing biscuits. For those who miss meals, a sideboard brims with leftovers that are easily transformed into portable potables, complete with sweet herbal tea and a large wheel of a soft, white, crumbly cheese.
Who woulda THUNK that Iliad would be helping out with the kitchen staff! It's true. Not quite ready to head back out into the REAL WORLD just yet, the ex-rider-guard-Weyrsecond-EVERYTHINGELSEUNDERTHESUN has decided to find a niche in cooking! Whatever time of day it is, he's currently chopping up something for that meal, ever-so-daintly (it's not going to work). We don't want fingers though in our tacos, right?
Mmmm. Finger tacos. Cannibaltastic. Lendai slowly just… meanders into the kitchens. Not a usual place anyone would ever see the Weyrwoman, and yet, here she is. A few of the cooks stop to just stare as the senior pokes her head around and intently watches what people are doing. Perhaps she is taking Arianne's suggestion about cooking, thus, learning to cook? Probably. There is a hope that just being in the room will make the woman an amazing cook in mere moments. Ahahaha, no. So on and on she wanders, staring over people's shoulders and generally just making everyone uncomfortable. At least until she comes upon one person who looks… familiar? Lendai stands and STARES at Iliad, an eyebrow arched in sheer confusion. "…Il'ad?" is finally freed from her lips, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement that the man is, indeed, who she thinks he is.
"Here, chop this." It's a carrot! Despite not looking up, there's a good chance Iliad knows exactly who he's handing the veggie off to, given the vague smirk that appears on his lips as he does so. He then turns to grab a colander full of fresh greens to rinse off in a water basin. "There's an apron over there if you don't wanna get your frills all—y'know, messy." Frills being whatever it is she's wearing. Surely it's pretty.
Of course it's pretty! They are her expensive, pink riding leathers, as the goldrider is on high alert to leave the Weyr the moment Dhiammarath rises. "Uh… chop?" She takes the carrot, looking at it rather uncomfortable for a moment before stepping to the countertop and putting the vegetable down. Eyes scan what Iliad is doing, before searching for a knife. The first she spies is of the cleaver variety. Figuring a knife is a knife, Lendai gets to work. Both hands grasp the handle as she raises the sharp instrument above her head and proceeds to MURDER the vegetable as she WHACK, WHACK, WHACKS away. Carrot pieces go flying as months worth of frustration are let go as she 'chops' up the carrot.
"Maybe I should've given you the melon," Iliad muses, looking over his shoulder before he turns to carry over the wet veggies. He then attempts to pick up the pieces of scattered carrots to add to the medley. "Good thing this is just Hannah's." He could be kidding, right? "Here," he then slides over the chopping board. "Next time use this. That way, uh—" Look, the table has pretty designs now. "So." And this would be the start of otherwise awkward conversation. Maybe. "You look hot as always. Howzit?"
"Oh." is all Lendai has say, as she's breathing quite hard now having massacred the poor, unoffending vegetable. "Well… it's still chopped, right?" She's putting down the knife now, safer that way, and taking a step away from those prepping food. "Oooo. Hey! A board, for chopping! That is a fantastic idea!" The novelty of it all is not lost on Lendai in the least. "Uh. You know." Shoulders are shrugged. "I… wasn't expecting to see you here, to be honest. Let alone…" There's that elephant in the room. The whole 'without your dragon' dealio. Hell if Lendai will be the one to actually say it. "I've wanted to ask. Before you left, is Iili? Did she… is she…?" Y'know. DEAD.
"Oh." is all Lendai has say, as she's breathing quite hard now having massacred the poor, unoffending vegetable. "Well… it's still chopped, right?" She's putting down the knife now, safer that way, and taking a step away from those prepping food. "Oooo. Hey! A board, for chopping! That is a fantastic idea!" The novelty of it all is not lost on Lendai in the least. "Uh. You know." Shoulders are shrugged. "I… wasn't expecting to see you here, to be honest. Let alone…" There's that elephant in the room. The whole 'without your dragon' dealio. Hell if Lendai will be the one to actually say it. "I've wanted to ask. Before you left, is Iili? Did she… is she…?" Y'know. DEAD.
"Absolutely. And that's all that matters." Did he just pet her? Yes, yes he did. Good girl. At least he wipes his hand "clean" on his apron before mixing the veggies up with his hands. And this is how he distracts himself while he attempts to come up with what to say next. "She's fine. And so is Szara. They're in a better place." Well, if he puts it that way… "Butterflies, rainbows." Maybe he's just gone off the deep end. Or he could very well just be egging her on.
"She's d-d-d-d-d," The words are stuttered, tears welling up in Lendai's eyes for her sister. "D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d," more stuttering, as the word just won't come out. "She's, she's, she's, she's, she's…" Cue some hyperventilating as Lendai now seems to be a broken record, repeating 'she's' over and over and over as those tears spill onto her cheeks. "IILI NOOOOOOO!" She HOWLS now, crying woman sobs and THROWING herself at Iliad and wrapping her arms around the dragonless rider. "WHHHHHY!?" is sniffled out, though probably sounds more like sobbing hiccups than anything. All the activity of the kitchens has pretty much stopped at this point as everyone just STARES at Iliad and Lendai. Yay they're popular!
Ohhi. Iliad has no other choice but to embrace the woman! "Yep." He may or may not be agreeing to her proclamation about her sister. "Everything happens for a reason, blah blah." So comforting, Illy. Hell, he even gives the woman a little pat pat for extra reassurance. "Dancing with the stars. I've come to grips with it. But I'm still certain that I'll see her again sometime. It's been the hardest few months of my life. Wanted to kill myself a few times, definitely. But here I am." Wait, he's not talking about Iili, is he?
It's takes a bit and Lendai only gets bits and pieces of what Iliad is saying as her slobbery, snotty sobs calm down. Finally she's just all limp while clinging to the former greenrider. "Did she at least go fast? Did a comet crush her and her fat dragon?" Lendai is finally able to get a question or two out, as she uses Iliad's shirt and part of his apron to to wipe her face and dab at her nose. "It must've been — must still be — so hard on you Il'a— Iliad. Losing your dragon, losing your daughter. Did any of your kids make it?" The man has like a hundred spawn running around, surely ONE survived.
"Wut?" We'll just put that question aside for the time being. "She's just lost—I'll find her, like I said. She's not gone forever." Oh, Iliad's delusional. And so so serious. "Daughter? Now who we talkin' 'bout now? 'cause I mean, yeah, it's hard, but it was a long time ago. I've gotten over it." RIP, Lilly. "'course they made it. They're all here, you know. Well, mostly Igen. Who wants to live here. 'cept Jedi, I guess. And Dalia. She has no choice in the matter." But what about Iili?
Okay. This? This just got awkward. And confusing. In truth, Lendai has dealt with VERY few dragonless riders, or like… none at all. They generally creep her out. But what with her sister being Iliad's daughter she can't very well ignore poor Iliad. "Uh. Wait. What?" All the crying and blubbering is stopped completely now. She disentangles herself from the man and takes a giant step back. "Uh. Yeah. Not gone forever." Lendai guesses they could be alive in between? Except, y'know, NOT REALLY. "So. Jedi. And Dalia. But what about Iili. Yaiili? Y'know. The kid you had with my mom. Tye? Remember her?" HELLO THERE CRAZY PERSON.
"Iili…" There's a brief tongue click as eyes roll upward in thought before Iliad shakes his head. "Name doesn't ring a bell." Amnesia? He looks serious, too. For now, he just stares at Lendai with a dumbfounded expression on his face. STARE.
Lendai just stares right back, her mouth hanging open. Just. STARE. It's a staring contest! Who knows who will win. Probably Iliad. Since Lendai's not good at sitting still for long, let alone not talking. "Illi. Yaiili. Your daughter." Her voice is pretty monotone now, grasping at straws in how to deal with this. "She was tall, pretty, looked more like you, blonde hair? Same age as those two boys you had?" Trying to jog a memory here, any memory. If it wasn't her sister, she'd have dropped this subject. Cause UNCOMFORTABLE much. "Brownrider? Fat dragon? Ista? Does ANY of this sound familiar? Like at all?"
"Iili," Iliad repeats again before fingers snap. "OH. Right. Her." Yeah, her. "Ask Zeyta." Does she want to smack him in the face just yet? "I'm not sure." Maybe not just yet. "I mean, I'm certain she came forward, at least that's what she said she was doing, but that was a while ago." And then STUFF happened. "I got distracted with things. Zeyta should know of her whereabouts." Or lack thereof. Maybe she IS dead after all.
"She… came forward?" This is news to Lendai, as she had assumed her sister decided to stay in the past. "Shells, this is… very confusing." Lendai rubs her head, probably getting bits of carrot lodged in her hair. "I… I guess I'll ask Zeyta." A distasteful look crosses the Senior's features. Cause. Ugh. Zeyta. "I believe she's at Igen, probably sniffing after Tuli." Her poor, poor former junior has a leech. "Are you… are you okay, Iliad?" The man's former name feels STRANGE on Lendai's lips. "I mean, obviously you aren't okay but are you okay okay?" Huh?
"Sure." Doesn't sound like a definite answer. "Am I okay?" Iliad then repeats after her, taking a step back to give Lendai a once-over as if the question were addressed to her instead. "Are you okay?" Because clearly she's the one looking flustered here. "Maybe you should drink some water. Or vodka or something. Let's not talk about me, okay?" It's probably much safer that way. "Let's talk about you."
Blink. Blinkblinkblink. Oooookay. "I'm… alright?" Is she? Is she really? Lendai has no idea. "What are you doing, Iliad? In here, that is. In the kitchens? Surely… the guard or really…" This doesn't FEEL right to the Weyrwoman. "Surely you don't want to be in here!" Her arms gesture wildly, her words easily flowing through the kitchens and probably insulting some people. "Alright. Uh. About me. Uh. I'm the senior." Duh. "Oh! I had a kid. A while ago. It's like six now or something." Mother of the year. "I gave it to K'ane." More pauses. "So. Sooo." Uh.
"What, a man can't have a change of scenery?" Iliad asks, brows raised as he motions around him (just ignore the knife that's in his hand). "Why would you think I wouldn't want to be in here? THIS—this right here, could be my calling. Or my mindhealer seems to think that it's a good therapy for me. I'm taking her advice. I'm trying to sleep with her." There's a slow blink before an arm forcibly is thrown around Lendai's shoulders to give her a shake. "LENDAI. You do realize, it hasn't been that long since I last saw you." Or maybe Linny kept him sheltered. "Want another?" Eh heh.
If ever a question mark could appear on someone's face, it would be ALL OVER Lendai's right now. Iliad's demeanor simply perplexes the woman. Dragonless riders, dude. WTF? "It's been a, well, like… 400 turns at least." Get it?! AHAHAHA. That joke will never get old. A wry expression appears, along with a small shake of her head. "Yeeeeah, no. I've told you before. Having sex with you would be like having sex with my mom." ???? "So no. Ew." Pause. "Are you wanting more kids? Shouldn't you be swimming in grandchildren by now?"
"See, you know how I know she's still here?" Iliad then asks, setting down the knife to flick his nose with his finger. "I can still feel her. It's like perpetual proddiness inside of me." Clearly he's ruled out being an ordinary guy being horny all the time. "I slept with Shazi's mom. And Linny's mom. What would be the difference?" NONE. "Your mom's a lot older than me." Just for the record. "Swimming? No. I've got one. I think. Yeah, I think just one. Too young for that shit anyway. I'm still young. Let me have my agility." He probably means virility.
"That only makes it grosser. You slept with an OLD WOMAN. With… old lady parts!" Though Lendai is still fairly certain her mom was sporting a wiener. "UGH! UGH!" A full body shudder wracks through the goldrider. Seems certain things can still gross her out. "Fa-ranth! Just thinking about that makes me want to throw up." Someone sleeping with her mom. YUCK. "You've got like a million children, most of them are dragonriders, right? I find it hard to believe you only have one." The senior wrinkles her nose. "So hey. You're a guy. What could I do to make someone have sex with me?"
Lendai throws in quicky. "Er. What could I do to make someone want to have sex with me!"
"She wasn't old when I slept with her! That was—shit, what like, twenty three? Twenty four turns ago?" Which just makes him feel old now. "I was practically a kid myself. I wasn't EVEN that old myself. FLIGHT! Remember that. Flight." Tye's sounding more and more repulsive by the moment. "She was younger than YOU are right now, I'm pretty sure." Maybe not. Who knows. "How does that make you feel?" There's a quick wink and tongue cluck before Iliad shrugs and leans his hands against the table. "One. And are you seriously asking me this question considering I pretty much just offered for free?"
"She was like forty!" Which is an age that Lendai is creeping towards, horror of all horrors. "Or fifty." Or ninety for all she really knows. "So yeah. Old!" Geriatric even. "I bet her boobs were like… like a fried egg on a nail." More shudders. "Okay! Okay! No more on that, I'm going to give myself nightmares!" Poor Tye, she's waaay too dead to be able to speak up for herself. "I'm only thirty six!" So sayeth Lendai as her player quickly checks her character's age. "Mom was like a million." Or something. Age is an enemy Lendai as yet not knows how to defeat. "I told you, I can't sleep with you. You slept with Tye." Remember? Ew. So much ew. "I'm trying to get Q'fex to like me more. He sleeps with like everyone else, but not his Weyrwoman." Sadpout. "Being hot apparently isn't enough." And doesn't that just burn her britches.
"Actually, they were pretty nice," Iliad informs the Tye-spawn as he cups two imaginary bosoms in the air, giving them a good squeeze. "Well, you're just shit out of luck, I suppose. I don't have that problem. I can usually sleep with anyone I want." Usually. "I wasn't really serious about you anyway. You're not really my type. Too high-strung. Like Linny. I'm all set with that. Sleep with 'em once and next thing you know, they want to weyrmate you. No offense or anything. I just know your type." Yep, he's stereotyping Lendai TO HER FACE.
Oh. Ohnohedidn't. "I am nothing like Linny." There is little else Iliad could have said that would have gotten this reaction from Lendai. She SHOVES the man back, or at least attempts to. "Linny was a waste. A waste of a goldrider, caring nothing for the Weyr and only about her stupid self! I do not weyrmate. I will never weyrmate. The… the Weyr is my weyrmate!" Arms are thrown up, as she's now all up in Iliad's face. "Linny had some serious daddy issues or wasn't hugged enough, I have no idea but don't you dare ever say I'm anything like that… that… that…" She splutters, reaching and unable to find the right word to describe the woman she was once a junior weyrwoman with. "Just don't!"
"Mmmhmm," is all Iliad has to say. The smirk he has on his face says the rest. "She stayed, you know. Just thought I'd let you know." Which means she's probably DEAD. And the former greenrider doesn't seem at all distraught over it, despite her having been his weyrmate. Or was she? Something like that. "You get all cute when you flare up like that. Maybe you should try and get Q'fex to piss you off. It might turn him on."
"I know she did!" Lendai huffs out, arms crossed now. Lips form a pout. An epic pout. Eyes narrow. "You're so lucky that your…" dragon is dead? Even at her level of anger those are not words she could ever say. "Uh. That you're so cute." Yeah. Nice save. "But I don't like you much right now. So I'm going to go. I'll learn how to cook later!" She turns around, flinging her hair back to hopefully smack Iliad in the face or something with a petulant little, "HUH!" before Lendai stamps off like a child not having gotten her way.
It must be the puppy eyes that Iliad sports. They DO make him rather adorable. "Feel free to make me captain or something if you want." Oh, is that how it's going to work here?
My inner-Szara says: In another life, we will meet again.
Poignantly awkward!