Hands off my muffin! ( In the kitchen w/J'fel)

[Invisible]

Lights out was coming soon, but it didn’t stop Genet’s stomach from complaining about hunger. She’d shoved her feet into her boots and tied her robe on ignoring the looks from some of the other weyrlings. A quick run to the kitchen and she would be fine. H’gar would not be back to check on them until they had to be in bed. You are going to be late Anquilith said with amusement in her tone because Genet was not so good with time. Nonsense! I just want a snack. I’m dying of hunger, Anquilith! Dinner was not so appealing. Anquilith’s dinner was quite adequate so she did not see what the problem might have been.

It was chilly outside, but she just had to run across the bowl and then be inside again and she had no coat so the robe would have to do. Maybe her mother was right and there was a use for flannel nightgowns! Her robe was just as warm as any coat she might get so with it flapping about her legs she ran across the bowl and into the living cavern. From there it was a quick dart into the kitchens because she had no time to see if she knew anyone to say hi to. She was starving!

It was quiet this time of night in the kitchen. No hustle and bustle just workers finishing tasks and seeing to the last of the work for the morning. Genet liked that about the kitchen this time of night. Anquilith? Let me know if I lose track of time. Back in the barracks the dark green curled up on her couch with her tail nearly over her nose. I will let you know, Genet. Get something to eat so my stomach stops aching. At least Anquilith thought it should be aching in sympathy so she imagined it was. Genet looked around for the quickest thing and sniffed the air. Someone had made muffins! A couple muffins and some cider would be perfect!

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel took the stairs two at a time. His hurry was graceful, the result of dedication and not any real sense that rush was called for. Even being sent on such mission as this was a sign that pleased him.

He emerged from the dark into the kitchen with his chin high, nose in the air and ready to savor the scents of whatever the bakers might have got done tonight in advance of breakfast tomorrow. Such stuff would be perfect for the provisions he was meant to pack.

Not really expecting to find the place empty, J'fel went to work without taking too much note of who else might be there. It was his Weyr, after all, and his goal was a noble one. He ducked into a pantry alcove and emerged with a basket on one arm and a cheese in the other hand, and as he crossed toward the ovens he merged the two items in the predictable way so he had fingers free to grab up a little cloth sack of shelled nuts, a knife and a towel along his route. The former two went into the basket, and then he reached for the muffins.

They were a mound, the muffins, overwhelming the great bowl they'd been heaped in after cooling just enough to be set aside. J'fel took one at a time, wrapping them loosely into the towel, and after taking three paused for consideration, to decide if a fourth was prudent. It was only then that he recognized the other person interested in muffins as a weyrling - as a girl weyrling - as a particular girl weyrling - and blinked, then grinned. What the hell is she doing out at this hour, he thought, while his pretty smile said, "Why, Genet. Looking for a snack?"

[Invisible]

It had been too late to hide when Genet had spotted the weyrleader. Not only too late, but it would have looked as if she was doing just that and she wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction of knowing how much she didn’t like to be around him. Not that she’d ever hid it that well. She tried to remember the last time they’d spoke. Oh. With Silvio, right. Months ago. Before, and after, she’d gotten Anquilith. That mess rarely bothered her too much these days. Not with having settled into weyrling life as well as anyone else might.

But recalling she was a weyrling now and remembering what H’gar had taught them she nearly dropped the plate she’d been planning to use for muffins in her hurry to salute the weyrleader. “Sir,” she said in accompaniment with the salute. “Umm. I was, yes, sir. Just something quick before lights out is all. I can’t sleep if I’m hungry.”

Dammit she told Anquilith. Stupid weyrleader. The green didn’t even open her eyes to Genet’s cursing, but took what Genet offered quickly enough as explanation for who had her annoyed. The plate dangled from her hand still and she made no move to get closer to the muffins. Even if the smell made her mouth water and she had to resist the pull of the baked goods with all her might. Muffins and cider, had that been too much to ask for?

[Omnia Munda]

"Well, go ahead," said J'fel through his grin. It was the same grin as before Anquilith; it was the same grin as after, too, a little bit likely to be infuriating in its wry knowing smugness. There was something like kindness in his eyes, though, and he withdrew his hand such that the weyrling might have full access to the muffins that remained. "Don't let me stop you. Weyrlings have to keep up their strength. How comes it, anyway? H'gar going to survive three girls in the clutch?"

Colloquial, his use of 'clutch,' since literally there were quite a few more than three female dragons, but Genet would surely understand what kind of females there were just three of.

[Invisible]

The grin was one of many reasons Genet sometimes had a lot of trouble resisting the urge to punch the weyrleader. Before getting Anquilith that would have been bad, but now? It would have been horrid. He could transfer her at his whim now and she’d be separated from G’tet. She didn’t want a reputation anyway as the sort of girl who hit people all the time and she’d already been in a brawl! “Thank you, sir,” she mumbled and cursed herself for sounding almost meek there.

Meek and Genet were not two words that went together at all. To counteract it she moved towards the muffins boldly and did not just take the first two at hand. Instead she found two she thought looked the best and placed them on her plate. Then she saw to answering the weyrleader’s question. “Oh, H’gar doesn’t have three girls, sir. He’s got us girls and Salina. We’re all nice and tidy in our place.” The wrong tone might have made her sound upset by this, but it was one of those things Genet didn’t care about. She’d rather be a rider than a weyrwoman. “Besides it’s the boys causing trouble that’ll make him pull out his hair.”

[Omnia Munda]

If Genet was meek J'fel showed no sign of noticing it. He'd caught her red-handed in a way, if not disobeying weyrling rules at the very least bending them - a little more quietude in her manner than usual was hardly unexpected. He watched as she picked the best of the muffins and then, for good measure, took another for his towel, which then went into the basket. "What, Salina's not a girl? She's a weyrwoman, so girlhood is out of the question?"

His smirk wasn't any less intolerable on that than it ever was, but J'fel's tone was rhetorical. More seriously, he agreed with the main drive of Genet's remarks. "It always is. The boys, I mean. And this class has some complications... though I suppose every one does."

Casting about for more things to add to the supplies in his basket, the weyrleader added, "What's G'tet make of Anquilith?"

[Invisible]

She was a rule bender, Genet, although as she’s gotten older at least not so badly. Certainly the weyrlingmaster could find no more fault with her than with anyone else. Sneaking out right before bedtime for muffins was hardly the worst he’d have to deal with. Peeling the top off one of the muffins she took a bite as she listened to J’fel.

Rhetorical or not he would get an answer for his question. “It’s different. She’s not got to learn the same things as us. And H’gar treats her different than anyone.” Shoulders shrugging she takes another bite of her muffin. “Whatever suits him and all. I’d rather be lumped in with the boys.” Because she maintains that being a weyrwoman would be horribly dull and being treated with kid gloves was dull.

She looked around at the last question asked. What should she say? She didn’t want to get G’tet in trouble and she wasn’t sure she believed him. After all she didn’t really remember what he said as being true. It rang true enough, but wasn’t what she knew. “He was pretty surprised considering what was going on when he left.” There. That was good enough. “But he said she suits me just fine and I suit her perfectly. That’s all that matters. And she does.”

[Omnia Munda]

Of course, J'fel knew exactly how much fault the weyrlingmaster did find with the weyrlings. Perhaps he earmarked this behaviour, the muffin-stealing, for later report to H'gar. He was not about to overstep the man, however, not at least on so small a thing as sneaking out of the barracks for a snack. It wasn't like he was catching Genet with a lover, or stealing from stores.

Though the former possibility did make him grin, which couldn't have seemed quite right for the direction of the conversation.

"Of course it's all that matters - you're a dragonrider now." Well, the grin didn't suit that imperfectly, at least; that the weyrleader took pride in even his girl weyrlings wasn't unreasonable. "But things were certainly different before they found Rosé. Good luck for the Caminar, that - and me, I won't deny it. Your brother's a hero. I wish I could do more to thank him."

A beat. "Hey." Afterthought. "You have any ideas?"

[Invisible]

If the thought she might be ratted out had occurred to her Genet had long since dismissed it as unimportant. The gig was up as soon as the weyrleader spotted her and there was no sense running around like she hadn’t done something wrong. Although, really, it was not quite lights out time so how much trouble could she be in? Not that she really wanted to find out. Hazel eyes narrowed at the grin, but rather than risk saying the wrong thing she stuffed most of her first muffin into her mouth.

Which did allow him to finish speaking at least. Then Genet brushed crumbs from her robe and considered. Genet wondered if she should express some sympathy for poor Rosé but she couldn’t do it, she thought, sincerely enough. It sounded like the lucky girl had gotten to go on an adventure. Being kidnapped? How thrilling! “G’tet’s destined for things almost as great as me,” she said with a cocky grin.

And ideas to thank G’tet? She barely bit back a snicker at that because what G’tet would really want she would never ever say. But, a less…inappropriate thank you? She tapped her muffin unthinkingly against the table while thinking it over. “He’s a real hero, isn’t he?” she said with a proud grin. “So he deserves something really special.” If Genet was greedy for herself she was only slightly less so for her brother. “Before he was searched he’d said he’d like to race runners someday. A decent runner for racing? Or at least one to breed off.” Nothing at all, really.

[Omnia Munda]

"So long as I had help picking one, I see no reason that couldn't be done," replied J'fel. It was that easy. He was long past being troubled by what had been and what hadn't been, what was versus what could be. He knew only what was, and what was was that he had G'tet's not-unlovely sister, greenrider, weyrling here with her mostly-eaten muffin and the chance to be sure that she would appreciate his gratitude.

Correct: that she would appreciate it, not G'tet. Well, of course it would be good if G'tet did, too. J'fel's grin became more of a pleasant smile, though there was something about the live-wire twitchiness of his brows that gave him away.

"Do you know anything about runners, Genet?"

[Invisible]

“Oh! Oh! Really? That would be the most wonderful thing in the world!” That had been easy really. Genet couldn’t help but wonder if there might not have been something greater to ask for. Not that she was not thrilled with this idea because she was. So much so that in her excitement she nearly forgot whom she was talking to and almost gave the weyrleader a hug. Luckily she did not and turned the excitement into hopping up and down which may have drawn the wrong sort of attention, but at least did not involve touching. When she stopped she took a bite of the muffin she’d been tapping on the table top. It must be clean since it was in the kitchen!

This also gave her time to consider what she knew about runners. Not much as it was more G’tet’s hobby than hers, but he’d told her a thing or two. She could lie and say she knew nothing, but her ego wasn’t really going for that. “Not really, sir. A little bit. Some. No less than anyone else.” There. That should be enough to soothe her ego and keep from having to deal with whatever idea was in his mind. If her ego were not involved she’d just have said nothing. Stupid ego. Genet hates to look dumb on any subject.

[Omnia Munda]

The forward motion startled J'fel, though he maintained some composure - and found it easy to keep composed still, when the weyrling's momentum turned into bouncing rather than hugging. He smiled wryly, and shifted his basket of forage from one arm to the other, tucking the towel-wrapped muffins in idly as he did so.

"Then I'll have to find someone to advise me. There's probably a Lord or some lord's son who'll be all too pleased for the opportunity to teach a weyrleader all he never wanted to know about runners," J'fel replied, words well salted and one brow cocked. "Thank you, just the same, for the idea, Genet. I do appreciate it."

He even sounded genuine.

"Must be getting on close to time," he noted then. "Shall I walk you back to the barracks?"

[Invisible]

“Oh. Is it? I completely lost track of time.” Genet glanced around as if there were some indication of passing time in the kitchen. As there was not she looked back at the weyrleader. “I should be getting back, yes. I don’t want to get in trouble.” Not over something as dumb as talking to the weyrleader. Sneaking out with Silvio would be worth the trouble. J’fel? Not so much. The muffins though, well, yes. If they had come alone.

“You’re welcome, sir. For the idea.” His offer to walk her back caused her to stare at him thoughtfully before smiling suddenly. “No, no. You are obviously here on an errand, sir. I wouldn’t take you from what you are doing just to walk me back to the barracks.”

[Omnia Munda]

The smile was almost immediate, as though her refusal pleased him, maybe more than an acceptance would have done.

"Very well, Genet. Don't be too long. It's cold out." J'fel palmed another muffin for something to have in his hand, then gave it a little toss-and-catch, appropriate match to the raised brow and wink that went with it in lieu of salute for the weyrling. "Thanks again."

He left the kitchen after that, though not without stopping to add a dry salami to his basket on his way past the hanging cured meats.