Kitchen talk

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

De'Ryanna had been gone from the Inn ever since she left to get the morning supplies from the Market place. It was very unusual for her for usually she was always on point about her duties and she was always punctual. If she was late by even a minute she often had a reason for it and apologized, even if the one she was apologizing too hadn't noticed that she was late at all. This time she had simply disappeared. It wasn't until the evening that she walked up the path that lead to the Inn and she hugged her arms around herself. She was here now, she could pull herself together. A deep breath and she went up the porch, opened the door, and entered, heading to the kitchen to get herself a drink .

The kitchen would greet her welcomingly with the warm smell of freshly baked bread and the low humming of it's baker. This time of the evening was reserved for cleaning and as such the Elf had thrown himself into it; sliding around the floor in a rather odd looking dance as he mopped, humming all the while. This was the scene De'Ryanna would come in too, although the sounds of the back door opening caused a pause in the humming and him to twirl around to see who had entered. "Ryan?"

The bread was a welcomed smell and she wondered what he was making it for at this evening. Maybe he was making a type of dessert? She saw him as she entered in and closed the door behind her, a warm smile on her face as he saw it was her. "Good evening Armandeus. I'm glad to see you. You seem happy this evening." She moved in, careful of any wet spots that may be on the floor as she went to get a glass.

When it came to Armandeus there didn't need to be much a reason for baking bread, even the thought of a sandwich was enough to get him baking. The smell was one he enjoyed and found relaxing as a result. "I am always glad to see you," A smile broke out on his face at seeing her, though his purple eyes were studying her. "I was hoping a better dancing partner would come my way. The mop can only handle so much."

"I didn't know you danced." It was true, she didn't, and that was why she watched him for a moment when she had come into the door. Her eyes looked from Armandeus and to the the fridge. She had forgotten what she was going to get and therefore simply reached in for a lemon. Tea. Yes., she would have tea and that would help her nerves. "You do well." no mention about her dancing, or a comment on the dance partner. She was unconsciously keeping her hands close to herself as she moved about preparing water for tea.

"It is a rather hidden talent. Who would expect an archer to have skills in dance?" He twirled the mop under his hands as he spoke, not taking his eyes off her. It didn't take a genius to see something was different in the way she moved and it caused him to frown. "Something has happened."

She rolled the lemon on the counter before taking a knife and cutting it in half. One half she squeezed into the tea kettle along with the water before she set it to heat. "Archers have a grace. I've heard of a few who can move through a forest to stalk prey without making much sound." She glanced to him and gave a sort of nod. "You have to be graceful for that type of thing." Her eyes lingered on him a bit more before she looked back to her task. "I'm hoping that the tea will revitalize me. It's been a long day."

As she spoke of stalking prey a light came into Armandeus' eyes. He had been like that once, so long ago it was another life. "There is also the thrill of the hunt to consider as well." He watched her for a moment before finally nodding. "It has been said that tea can help sooth the body and spirit as well."

"Would you like to join me?" She asked as she went to the cabinet to pull out the teas. She was looking for one in particular. "Silver Needle tea. You remember it? I think I shared it with you once before in the Alliance. You can tell me of your day." It would be nice to hear of something normal that happened today. Silver Neetle had a woodsy type of taste, Earthy and rich and how no need for sugars.

"Yes I remember the taste. I enjoyed it. I shall have to wring the mop and check on the bread first, but then I am all yours." He grinned at her as he headed for the sink with his so-called 'dancing partner' in tow. "My day was nothing remarkable."

It would be good for her to draw off any attention from herself and so she focused on the Inn and what he was up to instead. He probably had such a relaxing day that he figured she was off doing the same - relaxing and enjoying the peace. "Things have been better around here since the troupe left, hasn't it?" She gave a nod to the kitchen as she took the kettle off the heat. Since he said that he was going to join her she took out two tea cups and placed them, and the kettle on the kitchen's island before. "At least you have no worries about where your things are anymore."

"It has been quite peaceful since they have gone." He couldn't help the smile that came along with the statement, it was nice to have some quiet moments every once in a while. "Though I must admit I had grown used to their coming and goings despite the fact my tea kettle never seemed to reside in the same place for long." He chuckled as he set to wringing out his mop in the sink.

"Yes.." she said that slowly as she added the tea to the kettle. "Sometimes we get use to how things operate, even if they are annoyances, and we miss them when they are gone." Like the chain. Her thoughts suddenly turned to it and it's absence. For months she had been contemplating how to remove it from her waist and now that it was gone it had a rather haunting effect. That was the result of the training. How long would it be before she forgot what it had done and how long till the scars and burns went away. "Shall I start randomly placing the kettle in various places then?"

"It is a strange sensation." He frowned thoughtfully as he finished with the mop. "I supposed it is something I will have to grow accustomed to. Do you think they will return?" One eyebrow raised as he turned to her then, bringing the mop up to brandish up at her. "Hide my kettle and I shall slay you with my mop!"

Armandeus should be careful then because now, if the mood hit her, she most certainly would place the kettle in the wrong spot simply to see if he would go through with his threat. She liked for things to be in their proper place, but who was so say if the proper place for the kettle wasn't on the stove, or the counter, or on the shelf with the other pots and pans? "Some people have a tendency to move and keep it that way while others return to what is familiar" that was her answer on whether or not they were ever returning. She poured him a cup of tea and placed it on the counter on frnot of the other chair. "Here you go."

The rope swung both ways, for now if he found the kettle missing from it's spot he would know exactly who to come after. Perhaps the mop would not end up as the weapon of choice even for there were many weapons better suited for stealth. For the moment though the mop returned to the sink and he went to retrieve his cup. "Thank you"

De'Ryanna picked up her cup and held it close, letting the steam bring the smell up and she took it in. Oddly, she could hardly feel the heat from the cup on her fingertips at all. It was unusual for usually unless she cooled her cup she wouldn't be able to hold it for more than a few seconds. She knew it was steaming hot, but it may as well have been luke warm. "You're welcome. Armandeus." she was looking into her cup. "Did you notice that I was gone for the whole day?"

"I notice many things." Like the fact she was holding onto a hot cup where he had left his sitting on the counter. "I noticed you did not return with the basket of fruits that you usually do." He took a seat in the chair then, looking towards her. "Will you tell me what happened?"

She was prepared for him to take the chair, she had offered him the seat. Still, she tensed just a little when he pulled out the seat and sat even though they were a bit more than an arms reach apart. De'Ryanna said nothing for a moment or two, letting it draw out as she replayed the day. "What happened, happened and it isn't anything that can be undone." a small pause. "Were you worried?" She went in to test a taste and, like the cup, the contents felt warm. At a nice drinkable temperature.

(tbc)

[De'Ryanna Aybara]

"Since it is something not to be undone does that necessarily mean I am not to know what happened? Speaking of such things can often help." He turned his attention to his cup as he spoke, picking it up from the counter. "I should have gone with you." It wasn't uncommon for Armandeus to go along sometimes.

A sigh and she put the cup down. It was steaming hot and she could barely feel it at all. This was the cause for the slight look of disappointment on her face. It was not due to what Armandeus had said though it may have been interpreted that way. "Then who would have taken care of the kitchen and orders if any had come?" There was Madeline, yes, but she was unsure how she was feeling after they received knowledge of their Father's state of mind. She pushed the cup away from her, and her voice was empty when she spoke. "It's better that you had stayed."

She had a point and it brought him up short. Now that the extra help had gone, Madelin excluded, there was really no one left to run the kitchen. He sighed into his cup, blowing some of the steam away before he finally took a drink. After a moment he looked back to her, "Are you hurt?" She didn't appear to be, physically at least, but appearances could be deceiving, especially considering he didn't know what had happened.

How was she to answer that question? It was both yes and it was no. or she could go around it and say something totally different and that would be just as well. Or would it? Not really. She knew that Armandeus knew about the chain, he had been there the day she got it and she had told him of it, but she hadn't told him about the scaring or the burns and how she got them when she was upset. The most she may have said was that the chain grew hot. "He took off my chain." she finally said, refusing to say his name this time and he wasn't here to make her say it.

"He did?" Armandeus was suddenly suspicious. He remembered the day she had gotten the chain and therefore couldn't imagine why he had suddenly removed it. There had to be more than she was telling him.

"He did." Rather curt in her response. Her fingers tapped on the sides of her tea cup and she wasn't sure if she wanted to drink anymore of it or not. Staring at it as if the cup was the enemy here. Her shoulders went back and she raised her chin as she took in a deep breath. "I suppose I don't need it anymore. "

Well. For a long moment Armandeus had nothing to say in response. He simply sat there, taking another drink of his tea as he thought. Finally he looked up at her. "What is he planning?" There had to be a plot behind this somewhere.

His beginning quiet got quiet from her in response as well for she didn't know how to really approach the topic and the things that she knew, or didn't know. "It is a good thing that the chain has been removed." The cup was already pushed away from her and she inched it more so with the tips of her fingers. " I no longer have to worry of finding ways to get rid of it. I didn't even have to ask him to remove it. He did so on his own." That was an easier thing to speak of. "You should drink your tea before it gets cold."

Upon hearing it was a good thing the chain had been removed he began to relax a bit, for secretly he was glad it had been removed. And it also saved him from the growing temptation to find out if an Elvish blade could cut it off. The suspicion surrounding why it had been removed was another subject, however, but for now he was willing to let it go. "You are not drinking yours." A look was given towards the cup as she inched it away.

"I took a sip." and she had. When it was suppose to be piping hot and she had found it to be lukewarm. Bits of steam were still rising from it. "And it was not all that I thought it was going to be." Which was hot, though she didn't say that. "But everyone's taste is different. I hope that you find your hotter than I have found my own." She placed her hands on the counter and prepared to push back from it when she thought of something she remembered. "Armandeus...you can control fire, can't you?"

Find his hotter than her own had been? At that De'Ryanna was treated to a rare sight; a completely bewildered look from Armandeus. It could have even been considered comical if it weren't for the glances he kept shooting between her and her steaming mug. Luckily for Ryan though, her question lead him to distraction. "Yes, and water as well." Unfortunately it didn't dispel the look, for it was a rare thing for anyone to ask about his magical abilities.

"Does your ability to channel fire hinder your ability to feel heat?" She could do weaves of fire but that had never effected her ability to feel heat. Now, now the heat wasn't effecting her like it should and therefore she sought to get an opinion from another who uses the same element.

"It depends. The longer the channel is open and the magic used, the longer the effects last." He looked down towards his hands then, having lifted them from the table, his gaze intent as a small spark of a flame appeared at the end of his fingertips.

De'Ryanna watched him and the flame that appeared on the tips of his fingers. "How does it feel?" she wasn't asking because it was something she couldn't do it, but because she was trying to understand the powers of others for her own gain. "Do you feel a burning inside of you or is it nothing at all?"

His hand lifted higher and with it the flame began to grow, flowing downwards towards his palm. "The burn flows through my body the same as the blood flowing through my veins. It has been told Elven magic flows straight from our faer's and encompasses our entire bodies."

Thinking of that, her hands still posed to push back on the counter. "And, if you channel it long enough, once you rid the flame from your hand, will you not be able to feel heat?" That was the answer she was looking for. If this magic that he had enabled him to withstand certain elements.

He gave a slight nod, concentrating on the still growing flames. The effect was an interesting one; his long fingers and now nearly whole hand covered by the inferno. "That is correct. If I stopped now I still would not be able to feel heat for several more minutes."

Several more minutes..... It was that which got her to sigh for she was hoping for something else. Something more along the lines of a permanent effect. She looked at his hands and then she looked at the cup. Finally she pushed back on the counter. Her chair scooted back and she stood. "I can't feel the heat." That was all she said as she moved to the other side of the counter, dragging her hand on the surface and picked up the still steaming cup.

"At all?" His head snapped up to fix her with a worried glare, his fire trick momentarily forgotten. "Since when? I have heard tales of it's happening, but it is supposed to take a great output of power to achieve." Mindful of his hand he pushed away from the counter and got to his feet.

"Since this morning." Straight enough maybe. "I always could ignore the elements before but that did not mean that I could not feel then. Now this..." looking to the cup. "It may as well be room temperature." De'Ryanna was holding the cup firmly in her hand. The palm of her hand where there was sensitive skin. "Its been like this since I saw him this morning."

"He did this to you?" The flames of Armandeus' hand suddenly disappeared, leaving his skin glowing red in their wake. "Good Eru, what did he do to you?" He was crossing the kitchen towards her then, worry on his face.

She heard him coming towards her and turned around to face him and took a step back and put out her hands in the universal sign for 'stop' if that wasn't enough she gave the sign voice. "Stop. You probably should not get too close to me right now. Or at least don't make contact. He did...something. I said I wasn't afraid and I felt energy and blacked out." That was the extent of what she knew. Besides waking up hours later...

Her outstretched hands were enough to cause him to stop in her tracks and at her words he even took a step or two backwards. From where he stood he simply frowned at her. "Perhaps you should see the Doctor then. He may be able to help you whereas I cannot."

"Armandeus." His name was said slowly, she thought that he was misunderstanding and that was probably the case. .She lowered her hand and let go of the cup which was in her other one. Arms wrapping around her waist she leaned back against the counter, suddenly missing the feel of the chain and how she would fiddle with it unnoticed. "Don't frown." and she turned her head away from him. "This will work itself out." Just like she was willing herself to calm down and relax.

He usually loved hearing the way she said his name, but this time was different. The way she said it slowly did nothing more than add fuel to stubborn pride and so the frown remained. "Time will tell." In the matter of things working out or not, it would.

"You said I should go see the Doctor but what good would that do? Unless he has some magical ways to suddenly make me start feeling again." There was something strange going on. It wasn't the burning sensation for the chain was gone.. Perhaps it was a slight bit of panic entering in. "I suppose I should be glad. At least I'll never have to worry about burning myself anymore not sure if she was trying ot make a joke out of that or not.

"I do not know what skills the doctors of this realm possess. Perhaps such a thing would be possible and perhaps not." He snorted at the last bit, turning to look out across the kitchen, towards the back door. "I fail to see where that is humorous."

"It's not. That's why it's funny." They didn't share the same sense of humor - that was clear as he didn't get the joke, but that was only a trivial matter. Uncrossing her arms she brushed her hands down her skirt. "You asked me earlier what his plans were. In truth I don't know." she said as she looked back at him. "He's... preparing me for something I assume and this is just another one of his precious gifts that I did not ask for."

He definitely get the joke there and therefore said nothing else towards it. "I fail to see where the loss of heat is a gift unless one is going to be surrounded by fire." He turned back towards her, his hand tightening into a fist. "I do not want anything to happen to you."

What could she tell him in relation to that? Sure, she could reassure him that nothing bad was going to happen but that would be a lie. There was no way that anyone could stop anything bad from happening to a person unless said person was dead - and then death could be considered a bad thing. Therefore to say that nothing bad would happen would be illogical . "Whatever happens will handled like anything else. Until then I shall look to the benefits." a slight pause. 'Perhaps finding someone else who knows what it is to not feel and how they handle it."

Perhaps he was not looking for reassurance, but instead merely wished that she know how he felt? Whatever the reason it gained the same reaction as the other topics that bothered him, silence. "I am sure you will find another who shares the same infliction."

Sadly in her current state she was entirely missing it and she took a step to the side, removing himself from his direct line of sight. "What? You're trying not to say something. What is it?" There was always something when a person responded to you in silence. Either they didn't understand what was said or they did not like what was said and so they said nothing. There was also the possibility that they were in shock and were preferring to say nothing as opposed to saying how silly they sounded with their statement.

"I have already told you what I wished to say." Whether she got it or not was not the case, for the result was going to end the same. He had said it once and would not say it again, at least in this instance. Armandeus was nothing short of stubborn and therefore wasn't going to budge his position. Leaning back against the counter, he turned towards the back door again.

She was not going to frown. It was there, she could feel herself frowning on the inside, but she wasn't going to show it on the outside. If he was mad at her or whatever the case may be, then fine. It was probably better that way anyway. She wouldn't have to worry about something happening to him if he tried to touch her.. She still had to get back the missing hours of the day from her memory. If she could. Something had happened in that time she was gone and since she didn't know it was just better if others stayed away. "I see. Then there is nothing more to say on the subject. " Another step and she moved past him to get the tea kettle. She took it to the sink to begin cleaning it out.

He wasn't angry. Frustrated was the better word for it, and even then it wasn't directed towards her, but rather himself. Waiting on the inevitable had never been his strong suite and bugged him to no end. He let out a sigh and went to gather his cup from the counter.

A glance towards him before she dried the pot and set it back to its proper place. She had washed it in hot water, just to see if maybe the odd effect had worn off, but it had not. Maybe she would just have to be more careful then things that she saw was hot. Or perhaps this effect would go away on it's own, just like the scars, it would just take time. " I put your pot back in it's proper place. I will go now as it has been a long day." And she was feeling odd about more than one thing. She needed to think and try to pull her memory together.

"Thank you." Was the response given towards the kettle being returned to it's station. It seemed, for this time, she was not going through with her threat to hide it about the kitchen. "Enjoy your evening." He turned slightly to look at her before facing the door again. A push off the counter and he was heading towards it, slipping his daggers from their hiding places as he went. Perhaps some time practicing with the targets would do some good.