RP:Bakers Gonna Bake

Summary: With things cooled off after the Adventurer's Guild Mission to stop the Crimson Cloak, Khitti's back at work at her bakery. Scandal finds himself called to the shop by the delectable desserts within, only to then meet with his guildmate, and even get a job from her. Afterwards, they talk and bake, in preparation for the Yule customers in the coming days, and Scandal goes home with a brand new type of hoard, the sugary kind.

Ginger Snapped Bakery And Sweetshop, Cenril

Scandal’s presence in Cenril was a change of pace from his time in Venturil. Part of this reason was derived from a need to separate himself from the affairs of dragons, but also to separate himself from his recent recruitment by Larewen. The 10' tall draconian being who was a dragon just taking a form more suited to the streets of Cenril rather than invoking another city wide panic as a massive dragon may unintentionally cause a small tidal wave from stepping over the city and into the harbor. His time in the recent events of the Adventurer's guild had revealed his jaw dropping awe inspiring size when he was used as the distraction against the crimson cloak. Now he was in need of some relaxation. As he passed through the his usual route towards the bank he was overcome by the sweet aroma of pastries, cookies and sweets. Licking his jaws with cyan forked tongue, the black and red dragon eagerly decides to enter the Bakery shop. As he entered the observation of Scandal was a 10' tall draconian male whose wings were held tight against his back and a scaly tail that stuck out from a pair of light brown pants. He wore a white turtleneck sweater, and despite his mildly scary appearance, be that he was half black dragon and half red, he was known by his friends for his docility which some may have thought a weakness, while other respected it as civility. The aroma's of the room drove his dragon senses mad, he was salivating in anticipation as he walked up to the counter peeking into the multiple glass containers, and occasionally stroking the money pouch on his belt around his middle ever sure he had enough money to indulge. What could be said? Scandal was a sweets guy, and when it came to sweet tooths he had 52 to spare. The total amount in his mouth.

Khitti || As Scandal entered the shop, the bell enchanted to ring when customers came in rang as it always had. The bakery was short-staffed today, though that’d been Khitti’s own doing. With Yule right around the corner and many of her workers having families of their own, she allowed as many as she could to have time off enough to celebrate the holiday. Thankfully, it was the middle of the week and she could actually part with them for a couple days. “Just a moment and I’ll be right out there to help you!” The only other person working today was a waitress who desperately needed the extra pay and Khitti’d been happy to oblige--she’d been that person not too long ago when Mrs. Mallard was still alive, after all. The waitress was dealing with the few customer-filled tables however, so that meant Scandal would indeed have to wait. Unfortunately for Khitti, though, she’d have to show up to the counter covered in flour. A loud clatter and soon a thick cloud of flour floated through the open doorway that led from the kitchen to the restaurant announced her arrival, the redhead coughing up a storm as she wandered out of the room, as if a bomb went off. “Oi…” is all she managed to get out for a moment as she took off her apron, used the back side of it to wipe off her face, and shook the flour out of her hair. “Sorry. I’m dealing with the kitchen on my own today.” One last cough is shook loose from her throat before she clears it and finally eyed Scandal, “Oh, it’s you.” The templar squinted for a moment in thought, “Scandal… right?”

Scandal kept his jaw clenched to keep from chuckling as the kitchen door opened with a flour bomb going off. "Me, Oh yes, that's right, Scandal." He said. He looked back there. "If you need some help, I am good in the kitchen."

Khitti tilted her head somewhat as she eyed the hybrid dragon, “Oh, today I don’t really need it. Honestly, I’m just a klutz. However, I never turn down anyone that’s in need of a job. Are you…? In need of a job that is. Even if you’re not in need of money, it’s definitely good busy work to keep your mind off of things.” Khitti would know. Many hours have been spent in this kitchen, the kitchen on the Tranquility, and many others in an attempt to alleviate her worries--she called it ‘stress baking’. “And, at any rate, if you’re not here for a position, then when you’re ready to order, I’ll get you all set.” This seemed a very different Khitti from the one that was all fire and blades on the trip to the Crimson Cloak’s island.

Scandal shook his head, "I am not in need, I just never like to not be busy." He said. "I don't need to be paid either, i just like to offer my help wherever i can." He said, though he did eye those fried pastries. "Just give me a list of you need and I can make it,"

Khitti lifted a hand to her chin, taking a moment to think on it. “Well, how about a trade, then?” She reached into the case with a small bit of paper to grab onto the fried, powdered sugar-covered treat he’d been eyeing. “How about you work here and you take home half of whatever’s left at the end of the night? I’d say the whole thing, but once Lanara mentioned it to me, I’ve been donating most of it to the orphanage in Gualon.” She’d hand the fried pastry over the counter, offering Scandal a bit of a smile, “Just be careful back there, yeah? My home-away-from-home is upstairs and I rather like it.” It was meant as a joke, of course. If -she- hadn’t managed to burn the place down yet, things would more than likely be fine.

Scandal looked at her and at the pastires and then back to her. "Oh I think i can work on that salary." He said offering a smile. "After hours though, i would love to chat, when you have time." He said. when she directed him to the back kitchen, he would put around himself an apron and then wash his hands in boiling water and soap. Then get work on whatever she had on plan. At least according to Lanara he was a five star chef, but he believed still he had a long ways to go to be mr. whamsy.

Khitti shrugged as she followed Scandal back into the kitchen, “Why not talk now? There’s not much business today. Everyone’s out buying their gifts and whatnot. That’s why I was using today to play a bit of catch-up.” When he was finished, she motioned to the end of the large prep table in the middle of the room, “Over there, you’ll find various fruits for pies. Single berries or combinations, it doesn’t matter, make what you’d like.” The same hand then gestured towards a door, leading to the pantry, “Sugar’s in there and--” then finally shifted towards a large cold metal box, “Already made pie dough is in there. They’re in the pie tins too, to make it easier. I think there’s a jar or two of mammoth mincemeat in there as well, if you’re up for baking something a bit different.” Khitti’d never been one to be impressed by Mr. Whamsy’s food. Sure, it tasted alright, but it didn’t feel like it had any heart in it. The food was made purely to make money, not to make people happy. “And, finally, the oven’s over here,” the templar said, motioning to the huge black door beside her. Just gotta open it is all. Plenty of room for lots of thing at once.” With that said, she’d start again on the bread dough she’d been working on, before the flour bomb happened.

Scandal moved to the pantry and took and observation, and then grabbed the ingredients he needed. "Eh true, we can talk now." He said, as he grabbed the flour and some eggs, and retrieved a couple of pie doughs, and began to peel multiple fruits, and berries. and deseed them. "How has your recovery been from our crimson cloak experience?"

Khitti kneaded the dough in front of her, sprinkling a bit of flour from the table onto it when needed, “Alright, I guess. The ship I live on has its own healer. Lennier’s taken good care of me. Even saved me from dying once a little over a year ago, after an incident in Vailkrin.” After the dough was fully kneaded, she took a knife and sectioned it apart into columns, then put each one of those into bread pans. “I didn’t get hurt too badly though--it’s a definite change from how things used to be with me and fighting.” Continuing on with her work, she’d take the same knife and score the top of the dough, then put various toppings on each one. “What about you?”

Scandal nodded, as he worked, mixing up a sweet creamy fruity filling for one of the pies. He had the plan for a peaches pie, cherry pie, mango pie, and honey cinnamon flakery of his own making. "I heal pretty fast, but never as quickly in the mind as i would like." He says recalling his injuries in his mind. "It helps being a mana fount, but then, when your drained from being used, everything from healing to overall energy slows to a crawl. It still annoys me i got burned by my own fire." He said, as he pressed a cut and removed excess dough to form letters of seasonal greetings on top of the pies. Then removing a tin, from the shelve and a second packing some ice from the cold metal box along with some salt, before pouring cream into the the middle vat and pressing a lid on it. Then returning to the task at hand, setting to make a holdiay cake. "Course it gets pretty lonely in venturil."

Khitti opened her mouth to speak once Scandal was finished, but… there was that one word he’d said. ‘Venturil’. She wasn’t angry about it, but there was a brief moment of pause, those olive-green eyes of hers staring at the dough below her, the pans waiting to be stuck into the oven. “Indeed. The mind always seems to take too damned long when it comes to healing.” Khitti sighed somewhat, then set each individual bread pan onto a larger cookie sheet, with room enough for all three. “Venturil is… difficult, to say the least. I do understand about feeling drained though. This holy magic, despite having access to it for seven or eight months now, is still new to me. New, as in, I didn’t have to draw on someone else to have it. It tires me, but there’s nothing that a bottle of whiskey, some cake, and a good nap won’t help once everything is said and done with the fighting.” She pivoted on her heels, took a step forward to the door leading to the oven, opened it, and popped the bread dough in before setting to work on more for dinner rolls.

Scandal nodded, understanding a bit, for him magically drained was like being drained of vitality and stamina, it was rare but the trip had exposed to him that while he once had immensely vast reserves, they were still limited by the size he took at the time. And his fight during the first part of their journey had left him more drained than he had anticipated the second round. "The only thing worse than being drained is being overcharged, everything hurts, you feel like your going to explode, and sometimes it's a miracle when i don't." He sighed as he put the remainder of his pies in the oven, and began to work with the dough which he seemed to glow slightly as he infused it with magic. "I wish it were that simple with me, what i would give to be able to drink and party without much care for once, but no its more difficult and it requires a lot of alone time back at home." He said with a sigh. "I wonder sometimes if being half black dragon i am still affected by holy magic, even while i share traits with red dragons, its sometimes a troubling thing you know, to not always be sure of yourself or know where your limitations are." He shrugged as he stirred up some sugar and flour, and some other ingredients, before mixing in honey, and cinnamon. "For me, i was 50 when i chose to escape the world i lived in to sleep, i had hoped it would have been only but a few hundred years, but it was millions, and now it scares me it might happen again, I am young adult dragon with blessing and curses of dragon who is millions of years old. And I struggle with these abilities when i have had almost no experience or years of experience in them." He said as he placed a pot lid over the vat mixture of cake batter in a pot placed the lid over it, and into the oven.

Khitti went about her work with the rolls, kneading the dough for as long as she wished before finally cutting into pieces, these much smaller than the dough for the bread loaves had been. “I’ve definitely felt like that way too many times. And, it’s less of a partying thing and more of a coping mechanism. Drinking doesn’t exactly make me happy, unless it’s in celebration of something. It’s just… something I’ve been doing to forget things lately. Something I should probably stop doing before it ends up being another villain I’ve got to battle with. Plus, I’m getting old enough now that the hangovers I get afterwards aren’t so kind.” The rolls were all placed together in one round pan, the lot of them sort of squished together. Garlic and herbs, already mixed together with butter, was then brushed onto them, before they too joined the bread in the oven. “I’ve got from wielding darkness to wielding light. Neither of them seem easy.” She stopped, eyeing Scandal briefly, “I’m sure if you wished it, you could find someone to teach you. There always seems to be dragons waking up now and then. Or, you could always do the research yourself. I imagine plenty of dragons wrote books themselves.”

Scandal offered an attentive ear as he listened. "Well they have to be patient, I may be a mana fount, but when it comes to understanding magic let alone how many years i have been around, my brain hurts." He laughed a little at that. "Which is easier, darkness or light?" As he smelled the aroma of cinnamon and honey topped with a rum like glaze in the oven. Just a few minutes more he thought. "I know several dragons, two i am sure are good at heart, one I respect but I fear that with our red dragon heritage some temperament might be needed before she seeks to do what she wants, the other that's a mess that lithrydel does not need right now. He turned shook up the cream in the two jars as the container began to frost over. Opening the top occasionally to add vanilla, and then shaking again with lid closed. "I guess i would drink if i could get drunk, be kind of silly for a dragon to pick up smoking when we've been smoking to begin with." It was an old pun but it was funny to scandal. "But yes, coping mechanisms, I would trade mine for just about any other."

Khitti || “Darkness was certainly easier. But, it’s moreso because when you’ve got holy magic, there’s a large amount of expectation from you. There’s a reason I chose -not- to be a paladin of Cyris. Sure, I use practically the same magic, but… you’re expected to be on the good side of things at all times. I don’t really think I can live up to that. I will fight true evil when it comes, but I’ve never exactly been a good person, myself. I’ve fallen far too many times. Even recently. If I did so as a one of Cyris’ paladins? I’d likely never to be forgiven. The rules are rather strict. Cyris would abandon me entirely. And then where would I be? How would I fight? Physical weapons alone aren’t enough in Lithrydel. They never have and they never will be. So, that’s why I chose templar instead. It’s similar, but more leniency, to an extent. People are still wary of me, and of my guild though. They likely think I’m judging them. They can’t look past the stereotypes of what they believe is a holy person and see what I’ve been trying to do with the guild. They think that in order to join, their hearts must be as pure as Hildegarde’s or Kelovath’s.” The words were somewhat bitter in her mouth, but they were true. She’d had high hopes for the guild, and yet, most had gone their own way again. “Lanara joined, surprisingly. She’d had the same belief about it, before I told her otherwise.” As she spoke, Khitti went to the icebox and pull out some cookies that’d been left in there, gingerbread ones that needed to keep their little humanoid forms as they baked. After his mention of the other dragons, and then the coping mechanisms were mentioned, she smirked, “So long as there’s no blue ones. I’ve only dealt with one blue and that’s all I need. I’m sure you’ll find something to help you. Aside from the drinking, baking helps me too.”

Scandal shrugged as he reached into the oven without gloves pulling out the pot and turning it upside removing the lid first. Then lifting the pot revealing a cone shaped fried cake that literally hovered 8 inches of the table. "Special recipe, old Uldenbraug treat, I just didn't think i could still get it to work." He smirked, proud of himself, as the aroma of honey rich rum smell and cinnamon filled the kitchen. "They called it floating 'n fried." he listened though to her words. "I am not a good person either, instinct tell me to be selfish and hoarding, coveting power and money, and looking out for myself before anyone else. But abuse, and years of being tormented by other dragons and mistreated, made me want to not be what my instincts try to convince me to do everyday. Even now most dragons see me as weak, so I can't prove myself to them, that and being a mixed breed, even if it was species that were mixed." He sighed. "Back when Uldenbraug existed we had our own trinity of divines, I can't remember who or what they were, I think they struck their names from all dragons, but i know they were there, and i cannot help but feel how much i, we let them down. The only god now I offer a prayer to these days is Arkhen because i was told he was more forgiving than Cyris was, I am not religious, I am no traditionalist, but, to get by I guess I rather put my faith in something more powerful than I that sees me for what i am and accepts that i will have struggles even if my heart would like to overcome the challenges." He paused, he was speaking to a templar she probably knew that or he got it all wrong. "Maybe I was misinformed." He smiled. "No, no blues yet, Two white ones, though, one he's gonna make everyone he meets want to be around him all the time, the other, well, they will be with her, in her stomach that is." He mildly growled with distaste at that thought. "Never was one for eating people, seems wrong, did it once to save somone because i have a series of non acidic pouches and stuff within me accessed by my throat, but then that was used against me and..." a tear slipped from his eye hitting the floor bouncing as it solidfied into a diamond. "I lost a friend, to my own body, and was unable to save her."

Khitti watched as he took the pot out of the oven without oven mitts, the smirk forming on unpainted lips briefly. Showoff. She’d tend to her bread and rolls once he was done, setting them aside to cool before looking over his own concoctions. “Wow, that smells amazing. You could add that to the menu if you’d like! When you’re not busy, you could always fine tune it or make variations of it too. I tend to do that with the chocolate truffles a bit.” The redhead crossed her arms and leaned against the table they’d been working at, brows knitting together somewhat in thought, “Arkhen’s power, along with Vakmathras and Delisha’s, helped bring me back from the dead about a year ago. I owe the three of them my life, and yet… before I lost the ability to cast dark magic, it was Cyris’ sword, Tenbatsu Kaji, that found me. So, it’s conflicting, trying to figure out who I’m to follow. Ultimately, I chose Cyris. While he is strict, his rules of not forcing people against their will in anything works best with me. So, I use that rule and show people that they’re free to worship whom they will, to do as they wish, so long as it doesn’t hurt others. Even Vakmathras and Delisha. Some may consider them evil--and the majority of their followers certainly are--but death and pleasure are not inherently evil acts. We will all die. We all indulge in some sort of pleasure. Problem is that I can’t get people to see past that. I’m not going to force them obviously, but it gets tiresome when myself and the guild are looked down upon for trying to help others understand.” Khitti frowned a little as Scandal shed a tear, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Scandal bent down to pick up the 'tear' and looked it over. "Indulgence in pleasure and death is not inherently evil, it only becomes evil when its not dealt in moderation, if moderation were acceptable amongst the gods, their likely would be less wars and conflicts, but then how can us mortals do anything in moderation, we are inevitably slaves to something. Whether its keeping our freedom serving our masters, or our own lusts, we are inevitably slaves to something, and when we have no remorse over it, we are consumed by it." Maybe the words were wise, maybe they were not, his own philosophy and ramblings were often ignored he was starting to accept that. "The recipe is simple, so long as you speak the words Conasis elavorus over the batter, before you put it in the oven, the dish here will always appear floating and light and as fluffy as a cloud." He leaned against the table. "I admire arkhen for his stance on their will be struggles and not all will be able to achieve as he would wish it, but like Delisha, I seemed to always be drawn to the more carnal side of me. If only I weren't the last of my kind." He eyed her if she was about to raise the question of other dragons, "I think there might be enough difference between the times between dragons of my time and the saurian empire, subtle but very strange differences, that i have no basis for figure out what i need to do about it, I really should find a doctor i can trust, to do a biopsy so i can find out what i am and how i work."

Khitti || “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that, honestly--that we’re always in service to someone or something else no matter what. That freedom is only an illusion,” Khitti said with a sigh, thinking back on Brand’s words from some time ago. That guy of hers had more wisdom that she cared to admit sometimes. She nod in understanding of his recipe and the magic words that were to be spoken once the mixture was made, “Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.” Another nod was given, in response to his words on Arkhen and Delisha, “I think all gods deserve their dues. Show your appreciation for them, in ways that won’t hurt others, and I’m sure one day they’ll help you when you most need it. They did it with me, surprisingly. And, perhaps you could seek out the Healer’s Guild. I’m sure a biopsy is something they could handle. Both Emilia and Thamalys are trustworthy enough, and Emilia’s even in the Adventurer’s Guild with us. If Lanara deems her worthy enough to join, things should be fine. If neither of them are able to assist you, then I’m sure they’d be able to work together to sort things out and get the job done. I know you said you weren’t one for researching dragons, but out of any of the libraries, Xalious would be sure to have something. It’s how I taught myself to get better with my dark magic a couple years ago. Perhaps that dragon, the one that came with us for the Crimson Cloak mission, could help. If I remember correctly, I believe he’s one of the higher ranking members of the Mage’s Guild and might be able to point you in the right direction, so that you’ve got less hoops to jump through. It may be a bit of a journey to figure things out, but sometimes, that’s what necessary.” She leaned over, observing the growing darkness outside of the bakery, through the large bay windows of the restaurant, “It’s about closing time, I think.” Unfolding her arms, she moved towards the doorway and leaned into the area behind the counters briefly, calling to that sole waitress that remained here with them, “Victoria! You can go home now. Thank you and see you tomorrow.” Khitti would move back into the kitchen then and shifted her attention back to Scandal, “Take whatever you want from the cases, Scandal. There’s boxes and bags aplenty out there to put it in. And, if you do end up doing research, and need a bit of help, I don’t mind. Figured out plenty of mysteries in the short time I’ve been here in Lithrydel. Or, if you need to talk about anything, the Paladin’s Guild’s doors are always open.”

Scandal nodded in appreciation, at least someone didn't think he was crazy. "Thanks for everything, all the tips and words of wisdom, I hope to make use of them." He smiled moving over to the top of the cases, and began to box the tasty treats as he could. He looked at the tips jar and saw it was low. As he slipped off the apron as he was prepared to leave, he emptied his coin purse into the tips jar, when no one was looking. No doubt it would do the place some good and be useful for so more winter gift spending. "Thanks again khitti, he would say when she came into view." Then with bags and boxes under his arms, he would leave by the door the gentle ring of his departure in the air.

Khitti smiled at Scandal. She too felt similarly; it wasn’t often that people understood her views on the deities, whether they be Lithrydel’s major ones, or even like the horse god that Lanara revered. “You’re welcome,” she called to him, giving a wave before going back into the kitchen to clean up and then head home to the Tranquility.