RP:Bakery Blues

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

Summary: Celaeno finds Khitti's bakery, and inside it, a rather upset Khitti.

Ginger Snapped Bakery And Sweetshop, Cenril

Quite a bit had happened since Celaeno had last met with her future employer, including the resurrection of the bakery by the looks of things. She walked up the road, coming upon the eccentric storefront. It gave her pause as she glanced first across the street to the bank, still where she remembered. The rest of the surrounding buildings seemed in relatively improved states of repair or in the same disrepair, but they still seemed familiar. Was this the right place where the rubble of the past business had been, where she had met Miss Khitti in the first place? As she gawked, trying to find her footing again in the crisp air, passerbys wandered around her, muttering to each other and casting curious looks over their shoulders.

If only Celaeno had known Khitti a little better, she’d find that this perfectly suits the redhead, what with her love of fairy tales. But, alas, the half elf is left to find this out by herself. It doesn’t take long, however, as someone’s pushing past the crowd, and Celaeno, with a rather large bag of sugar hefted over his shoulder, and heads on into the gingerbread house. “Miss Khitti!”, came the booming voice of the male, “This is all they had at the shorefront for today, what with the holidays just passing and all.” Khitti was further into the shop, dealing with the till at the moment, green eyes lifting from the various piles of coins inside to her new sugar sculptor, “Well, use what you need for your work, Albert, and the actual baked goods can get substitutions. Plenty of things can replace sugar there.” Khitti managed a faint smile for her new employee and finished up what she was doing quickly. “Victoria! I need you to manage the orders for a short time. I’m unfortunately in need of a bit of a break.” A short, dark-haired female squeezed past Albert to get to the register, complete with blushing on both their parts and the meekest of ‘excuse me’ from each, as Albert headed into the kitchen to finally start his work.

That mask that all retail workers wear--the one where everything is pleasant and happy at all times when it really isn’t--fell away from Khitti as she headed towards the designated seating area. Strangely enough, there were a couple things different about her. Gone was that happy-go-lucky attitude Celaeno had come to know, replaced with what once was Khitti’s usual demeanor in the past: stressed and dour. Shouldn’t she be happy? Isn’t this bakery what she wanted? The other thing--and this was a big thing--was that Khitti looked to be several months pregnant. Around six or seven months, really. It hadn’t been -that- long since Celaeno saw Khitti, had it? Certainly not. But, here she was, in all her beached whale glory (Brand would interrupt her here were this being said aloud and tell her she’s not a whale but a ‘gorram beautiful mermaid’) in one of her thick knit dresses she’d received for Yule, equally as thick knit tights, and her trusty worn boots. Things were off with Khitti. Very, very off.

Celaeno moved aside as the man hefting around the large sack passed in, but the name she caught him calling as the door swung shut behind him finally made everything click. So she had finished rebuilding! The half-elf therefore ducks inside, perhaps to see if she could be of any use, perhaps for other matters. She waited just beside the door, mystified as she takes in the mural, the new smells, the displays, far more than her imagination could envision if given the task. It does bring an admiring smile to her mouth until she noted her quarry emerging from the back. Oh yes, the owner of the establishment seemed off, but because she was suddenly ‘sick with baby’ or other matters? Cela waits a moment for Khitti to sit and catch her breath before approaching the table. Unsure concern was written all over her tawny features a she quirks her head to one side. “Ah, good day, Miss Khitti.” She bites her lip, unsure of what to broach next. “I would’ve congratulated you on being with child earlier, had I known. Um...This is perhaps a dull observation, but you don’t seem well, despite all indicators suggesting you should be. Is business worse than it should? Can I help?”

Red brows furrowed a bit as she hears her name, but a faint smile would soon form as a greeting for the half elf, “Hey, Celaeno.” Khitti waited a moment, weighing her options of what she should respond to first, ultimately going with, “No, the shop is fine. The suppliers at the docks are a bit low on sugar thanks to Yule and the new year, but nothing we can’t handle.” She motioned to the chair next to her, scooting over a little bit to give Cel some room if she wanted to sit. “I hadn’t mentioned the pregnancy because I -should- be a little over 2 months. It didn’t matter because I wasn’t showing yet and I’m not one to just go off and brag… or whatever you want to call it. It was the same with my engagement too.” Khitti shrugged, getting back to the topic at hand, “But, no. The pregnancy itself is not why I’m upset. One of the things that I can do, with my magic, is open a portal to the Shadow Plane. Long story short, the father of the being I shared a body with, he doesn’t quite like me. He’s insane. Literally. I’ve got a bit of a curse on me, thanks to my vampirism cure, and he was the only one we thought could deal with it. Turns out, it was a bad idea. We went there, it was a trap, and a member of my family was left behind.” Tears started to well up in Khitti’s eyes as she spoke about Meri, but she did her best to push them away for now, but not without a bit of sniffling. “Part of the trap was to force my pregnancy along and that’s why I’m so far along now.”

“Of course. Those are very personal matters to share how you like.” Celaeno takes the offered chair and folds her gauntlets in her lap. Her attention shifts between Khitti’s bulging stomach and her face as she listens to the explanation. As another plane is brought up, the young academic’s eyes light with obvious intrigue. The mad father bit has her nose wrinkling in sympathy. The mention of a vamprism cure has her only somewhat bewildered, but she listens on, letting herself let go of that minor detail in Khitti’s dilemma. The rest, well, has her brows knitting together, ending the facial dance of expressions for the time being. “I see. Of all the people who don’t deserve this kind of trouble it’s you.” Apparently, even after only knowing the other woman a short time, Celaeno already had formed a high opinion of her. “Is...is there anything you need? I can fetch materials, run errands, write letters, make deliveries, brew some tea, listening even. No doubt you’re already doing all you can on the magical front.”

Khitti sighed after blurting all of that out, having seen the range of expressions on Cel’s face. “Sorry. That's a lot to take in. It’s been a really crazy year… Two years even. Just one damned thing after another since I got to Lithrydel.” A hand rose to the bridge of her nose, pinching it--she’s had a headache since she woke up. “Tea would be amazing. I'm more tired than I should be and I can barely stand for an hour or more without needing a break. My body's not caught up to what's happened to it yet. As for doing anything else, you’ve still got a paying job here if you want it. I’m not sure if the word’s gotten around yet, but I left the guild. I wasn’t sure if you and Raevyn would even want the positions after that, but I kept them vacant just in case.”

“Something strong or soothing? I have a good chamomile mix for the latter.” Celaeno hefts her pack off of her back and opens the top to reveal she seemed to carry an odd assortment of cooking tools in there, among other things, including a pot and a small kettle. It was the kettle and a water skin she sought first, pouring one into the other. She then sets the kettle on her palm and taps a few of the engraved runes on her fingers. A hot aura covers the silver beneath the kettle and she holds the kettle aloft as she waits for the water to bubble. “How long do you think it will be before your physician tells you to be on bed rest? At least that was the common practice back home, usually the last month or two. As for the guild, with everything happening in your own life, I don’t blame you for parting from it.” She hesitated to pry into any other reasons, if they were there. Khitti seemed a decent sort while also being able to practice dark arts. If the two started to conflict, the half-elf thought she might prefer staying ignorant, for the moment. “Last I spoke to Raevyn, she was still excited to work here for the sake of having her own income and getting back in touch with an old interest. I’ll pass along the message, though, unless you see her first. I know I still welcome the position, though. I enjoy learning new skills and soon my savings are going to run thin. Besides, you’ve helped me more than you know in only a few interactions. I would like to start returning the favor somehow.”

Olive-green eyes watched Celaeno and her work curiously as she decided on a tea, “Chamomile should be fine, I think. As for bedrest, I hope it’s never. Too many times the past two years have I been made to sit, confined to some room--or a cave. I’ll go mad if I have to and Brand’ll never hear the end of it. It’s a wonder though that I can even make it up the stairs in the ship.” Khitti was tempted to subtly warn Celaeno of her guild mistress’ unfortunate ways, but she kept it to herself. There was no point in starting drama lest she get banned from Vailkrin and that just wouldn’t do. With a sigh, Khitti fell quiet. She eyed the teapot, then Celaeno, then the table. “Thank you,” she finally said at length. “Meri’s the one I usually go to, to talk about things, when Brand is busy, but… now she’s just gone… so it’s all just sorta been building up.” Hence the spewing of all that info at once. Tears welled up and threatened to spill again. “She helped me paint the mural in here. It was the last thing we did together before we went to the Shadow Plane.”

“I hope all the bobbing back and forth isn’t causing any worsening nausea.” The kettle started to bubble in Celaeno’s hand. The half elf took a couple tin cups from her bag, set them on the table, then pulled out a couple of infusers--small, tight knit cages attached to chains. Last of all she roots for one of her herb and seasoning boxes, and pulls out the one with the chamomile tea mix. All that was left was to wait to put everything together. She seemed not to mind the prolonged silence as her hands busied themselves with the fetching, content to wait for Khitti to resume the discussion. The sudden thanks does make her eyebrows go up, even more at the realization of who Khitti meant by family. “It’s fine, really. You’re welcome to use my ears anytime you’d like. So...she’s the one who...She is very talented, very neat, very professional. I liked her when we met. She also proved very good at listening, despite being occupied with her work. You both did a wonderful job on that. It's what stands out most about the shop.” She seemed at a bit of a loss, but was saved by the kettle whistling its readiness. She lets the hot aura die down while she gets to work filling the infuser cages. “I’m sure she’ll find a way to keep going until a way out is discovered, knowing she has family to come back to. It’s a powerful motivator, as I’m sure you well know.”

Khitti smiled somewhat and nodded. “Yeah. It definitely is.” Once again, she watched Celaeno work, silently appreciating every aspect of her enchanting that the half elf was showing off. “You know, if you don’t take to baking and decorating well, you could always help with the drinks. It could be a whole thing, making tea for customers right at their table. If you were comfortable with it anyway. You’re really quite, uh… -handy- with it.” It was an attempt at a good natured joke, that smile still planted on Khitti’s face to show as such. She didn’t want the mood to stay so dour. That part of her personality, the depression, had to go away. It’s not who she was now; she had so much to live for and be happy about now, even when unfortunate things, like Meri’s disappearance, happens. Celaeno was right: either Meri would figure it out or Khitti, Brand, and Lionel would or maybe a mixture of the two. “Or, maybe, if you didn’t want to use your gauntlets, you could enchant something else to get the same effect. Either way, it’s definitely an amazing skill you’ve got there.” Turning the conversation more towards Cel, and with a hushed tone because of the subject’s sensitive nature, Khitti asked, “How are things with your sister?”

Celaeno threw Khitti a good natured deadpan at the pun before her snicker slipped out. “That’s actually one I’m surprised I haven’t heard before.” The half elf got to work stuffing the infuser cages with the leaves and hanging them over the edge of each cup. Then she pours the water into each. “I would like to give assisting with the baking a try, eventually. But that actually sounds like a good idea. I’m getting a bit better at small talk, less nervous most people will bite. Touching from strangers is still a challenge, but that doesn’t seem like such a bad aversion to keep.” The tea steeped and the half-elf set her kettle on the table, atop a rag first, to cool off. She bit her lip a moment and folded her hands back in her lap. “She may be a mite too protective.” Putting it lightly. “I went unconscious during a sparring accident and she managed to take over…one thing led to another and now she considers Raevyn a threat and said she wants a body of her own, possibly mine, for my own good. I did find a potential meaning of one of the sigils my fa...my old mentor used. A bit of progress there.” She takes a deep breath, her eyes flicking toward Khitti's swollen stomach as she flicks the tail of her braid. “Nothing has happened since, either. I figure as long as I don’t get attacked by anything, I should still have some time.”

“I suppose overprotectiveness is to be expected though.” Khitti seemed concerned, however. She’d done a little of her own research regarding Raevyn singular studies on the one called ‘Nasada’. The redhead hadn’t liked what she read. She’d pondered speaking to Lionel about it, but he hadn’t the time for such things. “Just be careful, okay?” That little slip Celaeno had made while speaking about her mentor hadn’t gone unnoticed. Khitti narrowed her eyes at little at the woman, but said nothing of it. For now. Celaeno would tell her when she was ready--if she was ever going to be ready. She eventually followed Cel’s line of sight down to her, a hand placed there protectively. “Regardless of what’s going on with me currently, we need to get yourself sorted out. If she wants a body, we’ll find her a body--just not yours. Bradyn works at the funeral home here in Cenril. Plenty of people die every day that didn’t have families and are buried in unmarked graves. Perhaps you could seek him out and inquire about it. He’s no stranger to resurrections and such, so he may assist you and your sister. If she picks out her own body, as opposed to being forced into one, things may go better. If he’s not able to assist, then you do a bit of digging until one is found. If she’s going to start cat fights with Raevyn, I’d rather her do it in her own form rather than yours.”

“Yes, it was justified, at the time. I believe Raevyn’s...issue acted up. My sister’s reaction was more severe than I’m used to, though.” She sighs, shoulders stooping with the motion. The tea was just about cool enough by then, at least for her tastes, as she lifts the cup to her mouth and takes a testing sip. “I’ll find this Bradyn and ask about what he can offer. I’m just nervous she’ll try to make another attempt at Raevyn’s life once she has her own shape. She got past her bodyguard and it was only my starting to wake up that stopped her.” She takes another sip, a longer one, hoping in vain the chamomile would do its job faster than usual. “She was the good one in the family, she doesn’t do things like this…” Despite evidence to the contrary, and Khitti’s previous testimony, the truth hadn’t seemed to penetrate some part of her yet. A throbbing forehead precedes her setting her cold palm against it. “The...sigil I did find can apparently be used to help brand undead vessels or golems, like used in seals of ownership or something, if I read it correctly. The tome itself was still over my head, so I could be wrong. I haven’t felt anymore pulling from the marks, though, so that’s a bit of a relief. I was half tempted to find a healer to pour acid over the things, if I thought it would remove them without repercussions.” She shakes her head a bit, frowning as her news brought more dour notes to the discussion. “I’m sorry my own progress doesn’t have many more bright spots. I appreciate your help still. I’m finding trouble trusting other members of the guild, so I haven’t mentioned anything except to you and Raevyn.”

“If she attacks either of you, unwarranted, then we put her down, Celaeno. Plain and simple.” Khitti’s words were blunt, and perhaps might even strike an ill chord with the half elf. “I’ve dealt with enough of that sort of thing to know that this is not something to mess around with. Speaking as someone that’s had to put down her own sister, we can give her the chance to have her own body and if she fraks that up, then she gets sent to the void where she should’ve been when she died.” Khitti had had to deal a deathblow to not just one, but two sisters, one by blood and the other adopted. After a moment, she finally took up her own cup of tea and sipped it carefully. It was still quite hot, but she didn’t seem to mind--it was something she’d gotten used to as a vampire. “I’m sorry if that was harsh, but... “ Khitti took another drink, using it to try to calm her nerves and soothe that anger that’d started bubbling up inside. “...your situation is too much like what my own had been not long ago, and I’ll not see someone else suffer or die because of something like it. It probably wouldn’t matter if you had the runes burned off or not. Magic likes to leave an imprint. As for Raevyn, we need to figure out her ‘issue’ as well. I’ve done my own bit of research on this Nasada and I don’t like it. Whatever her connection is to this person, maybe your sister sensed that as well.” A pensive look washed over Khitti’s features as she stared down into her cup, “I’m not going to comment much on my opinions of things with the guild. Bradyn is trustworthy, so long as you can tolerate his personality. Some of the other instructors there--Lorkain and this dryad who is also named Rhaevyn--they’re alright.” No mention was made of Larewen, for that was the epicenter of where her opinions started. She was ‘ground zero’ and Khitti wasn’t going to release her thoughts about that to just anyway, even if she’d felt like her and Celaeno were a bit closer now. “You don’t -have- to trust anyone there that you don’t want to, however. If all you wish to do with the guild is further your studies, then that’s up to you entirely--same with Raevyn. The help you seek does not have to come from within, I assure you.”

Celaeno gulps, the finality of Khitti’s words making her stomach sour. Despite that, though, deep down that truth had been trying to bubble up ever since she’d discovered her sister’s present state. Eventually she does nod, taking a drag of her tea as if it were made of something stronger. “No, you’re...right. I’ll still pursue giving her this chance, but a hard line has to be drawn.” While some of the wind had been knocked out of her sails with that one, bringing up her fellow necromancy student seems to have put a few more gusts into them as she sets the cup on the table and her hands curl in her lap. “I have been doing my best to help her..I don’t like him a mite either. We’re making slow progress on that front as well, but progress nonetheless. She would appreciate as much help as you can give with the matter, I think, but I’ll leave that to her discretion to ask and yours in deciding to aid or not. I know for my part I hold you in high regard, and I believe she does as well. Your insight into the other members is helpful. Thank you for that. I’ll pass along the idea to seek help outside the guild as well, I know she’s not unwilling to consider that.” She takes a deep breath, steeling herself as she exhales. “Regardless, I’ll be neck deep. She is literally my first friend, family at this point. You understand that…”

Khitti sighed and nodded, “I do. I'm sorry if I was overly blunt. It's hard for me to sugarcoat things like this anymore. These matters are rather grave--” That's a necromancer pun, heh. “--and I'm not taking chances when my friends’ lives could be at stake.” Khitti let out a ‘hm' and pondered on things. “I'd not go so far as to say that you and Raevyn should be separated for the time being, as you two are obviously very close. Do you have your beginner's book from the guild on you? There might be something there we can use to suppress your sister until we can get her a body. You'll likely have to get the ingredients and work the spell yourself, but it'll be good practice for you.”

“If I don’t appreciate it now, I will come to appreciate it later. Better than being told nothing and something catching me unawares. If you hadn’t warned me this might happen in the first place something even more regrettable would have happened.” She sips the last of her tea, mustering a bit more heart at finishing the drink. Her head does quirk to one side as she nods in reply and pulls out that Minor Book of the Dead from the rabble in her bag. She sets it carefully on the table, the spine already showing some wear from use. “Yes, I figured something like that would be more advanced... What section would that be under?”

“It can be, yes. But that would be when you’re wanting to bind a soul to a new body. She’s already bound to yours, so we just need to suppress her a little further. Runes and sigils is what it’d be under.” Khitti would wait until Celaeno flipped to the right section and would then slide the tome a bit closer to her so that she could flip through the pages. “The thing is with these is that they’re temporary, which is why it’s not under the advanced section. For it to be permanent would take a lot of magic and skill. I’m not saying that you don’t have the skill, but for someone that doesn’t have a way to practice such things just yet until you get higher up in the guild, it’s better for you to try it with lesser things. Some people might be inclined to try it on animals or smaller creatures in general first before an adult of anything, but… we don’t really have that luxury right now, unfortunately, but I’m certain this will at least buy us some time. Do you have a bit of paper? I didn’t bother bringing my own study work with me since I figured things would be hectic here the first week or so.” She didn’t want to write in the book either, for that was crime to all bookworms. Khitti summoned her favorite writing utensil up from shadows, the fountain pen ever full of magic, purple ink. “I can rewrite it a bit to suit the need, and even enhance it a little so that you can talk to her if you wish. But, it’d be in your own head. Think of it as a sort of psychic link. Maybe if you tried speaking to her that way, you could get through to her and calm her down a bit?”

Celaeno already had quite a few marks in that section and she opened the book to the start of it with practiced ease. She watched as Khitti turned the pages, nodding along with her explanation. Her knee started to bounce under the table and despite the grim nature of their conversation, thus far, her wide eyes as she glanced between Khitti and her beginner tome showed an obvious hunger in them. The suggestion to write notes in the margines of the text wouldn’t even enter the fellow bookworm’s mind, up there with sins like dog-earing the corners of pages. Her own little journal of notes was kept in a side pocket of her pack, within easy reach, so she only had to bend over some to fetch it from under the table, open it to the next blank page about halfway in, and slide it toward Khitti’s pen to oblige. “Is...it too forward of me to ask as well how you learned that trick with the pen, Miss Khitti?” She may have unintentionally batted her eyes as she said the human’s name. But that rapt attention came back to speculating about the sisterly spectre living in her chest. Her mouth opens at first, nothing but a halted breath coming out as Khitti described the nature of the enhancement. She has to gulp down the lump that threatens to make less flattering emotions start to well up before she’s able to properly reply. “Y-yes...I would appreciate that. I...hope she would as well. I haven’t been able to explain anything. The only times she’s ever emerged are when I’m unconscious and when I regain control, I miss whatever happened,” she said, her voice thicker. “It’s also been a long time since we were able to actually talk.”

Khitti paused in her thoughts and writing as she noted Celaeno’s anxious leg bouncing, “It’s alright, Celaeno. Please, trust me. I wouldn’t have suggested this if I thought it was a bad idea.” Khitti looked at the pen and blinked, then shrugged, “The creature--or person, rather, I guess--that I’d been tied to, like you to your sister, she had such an ability. My magic was her magic. I’m not sure if someone who came by their necromancy normally can do it. Perhaps, I could still teach you the Black Tides, since that’s what it stems from, even though I’m no longer an instructor. Maybe once things have settled here and I’ve gotten things taken care of with Meri and Facilier.” Her writing started up again, the pen scraping across the paper and leaving trails of purple ink behind. “I imagine though that you could do something similar with your enchanting magic, couldn’t you? You could probably make it so it summons up whatever color ink you want too. Spellcrafting can be difficult, but all it takes is practice too.” Khitti finished with her rewriting of the spell finally and pushed the book over to the half elf. “This isn’t something that you need to worry about inscribing into your skin. A bit of metal or stone would do. You could make a necklace or some such out of it. Something to keep on yourself at all times until we take care of this.”

“Of course, Miss Khitti.” She crosses her ankles under her chair to cease the fidget. It comes out in her leaning forward a bit, studying the older necromancer’s strokes as she wrote, perhaps trying to decipher what they mean before properly reading them. “Black Tides….that is shadow magic, correct? Regardless, I will take whatever kernels you have to offer when things settle down. I am not picky where I get my lessons from, only that my teachers stay away from me with sharp knives.” Her voice lilted up some, perhaps an attempt at dark humor. “Perhaps if I hollowed out a fountain pent of some sort…” She trails off as her mental gears start to work through how to do that. She had come up with a combination for a self-refilling flask before, and ink was just another liquid, right? Her notebook was taken and the page skimmed over. A toothy smile breaks out as she looks over it. “I think a bracelet would be fine, easier to hide under my sleeves from unwelcome eyes.”

“The Black Tides does indeed deal with shadows, but it's more than that. There's flames and ice and I've even discovered how to conjure electricity as well. It's probably the only subclass of necromancy that's truly viable in combat because of how similar it is to a normal mage’s magic. Sure, you could have a familiar attack for you, but what of there's a group of enemies? If they're sentient, they're almost certainly going to go for you over the familiar because once you're taken out of the equation, the connection to the familiar is lost. You need to be able to protect yourself, as well as others, with both magic and weapons.” Khitti sat back in her chair after handing the book over. “I could show you how to conjure these elements onto a weapon as well. More than one at a time even.” She lifted a hand, igniting the dark purple shadowflames along her fingertips. It shifted to a sort of grey ice, then black lightning, and finally shadows. After each was demonstrated, she conjured two or more of each at a time. “And a bracelet should do just fine. Just remember to protect it at all costs. It’s entirely possible for spells to be reverse-engineered and their purpose figured out if the mage was powerful enough.” As if on cue, a loud crash came from the kitchen, as well as a bit of arguing. Khitti sighed. “I should get back to work.”

Celaeno leaned forward on her elbows as she listened. She seemed to revert to half her age with the way her childishly wide, eager eyes soaked in Khitti’s every word. That same intent attention went to Khitti’s demonstration, however brief. Without making a buffoon of herself, the only words the girl can manage are a restrained, higher pitched, “Yes, I would like that.” It seemed Khitti had just possibly made herself a devoted little follower. Her excitement was hardly dampened with Khitti’s warning about the hypothetical bracelet and the ensuing commotion from the back. She bows her head and begins to gather her cups and such from the table. By then at least, her tone returned to normal. “Of course. I’ll come in for a shift as soon as I am able. My thanks for you making time for me. Do stay safe, Miss Khitti.”