Desperate for Sweets

[etoile]

Aido bounced happily into the kitchens. His sweet tooth was postively begging for something to satisfy it! Smoothing out the blue dress he was wearing, he skipped over to the nearest drudge, smiling happily to her. He, of course, saw no problem with his dress- he happened to look better in them than in normal boy's clothes. Unfortunately, many did not understand that concept. But perhaps weyrfolk would be more open to his personal style. Momo always thought his outfits were fine- she would always defend him, he thought sadly. However, it was time to fend for himself now.

"Hi!" he greeted the drudge with a charming, boyish smile. "I'm Aido!" He paused, telling himself to be patient in his search for sweets. In time, he told himself firmly. If this drudge liked him, she could probably point the way to his destination! He giggled. "I'm a candidate!"

However, his eyes caught a sweet, pastry-type food behind her. Staring longingly at it, he blinked, refocusing back in his conversation. He laughed nervously. "Ah, erm, well! Look at the time- I have to go do my chores... Over there..." He pointed in the direction of the pastry, then made a quick dash for it before he could be questioned. He grinned happily as he took it from where it sat, very pleased with his find as he stuck his thumb in it, then licked his thumb clean. "So good!" Aido sighed happily, almost dancing in happiness.

[Kitari]

With extreme focus, Barec tilted the heated platter, sliding finished pastries onto the makeshift, stone counter at the far end of the Kitchens. He had been labouring for the past few candlemarks to produce the pastry cakes, and this was his first completed batch. Sitareh had called for a more extensive menu for the dinner tonight (she wished to celebrate something), so the Kitchens were buzzing in preparation. These cakes were just a few of the numerous dishes being cooked by feverish candidates and Lower Caverns workers alike.

Barec had finally had himself removed from labour duties, and he was extremely relieved to be back in a more candidate-like role. Although he was used to working outdoors in a physical role, the proximity to all of those hardworking men had unnerved him thoroughly. Somehow, he felt safer in the Kitchens, with only the gossiping cooks hovering over him from time to time. Mostly, he was able to keep to himself, completing his tasks as efficiently as possible.

Living alone as he had for Turns, the lad was perfectly used to preparing meals. Although he'd not gotten involved in anything too complex, he had quickly caught onto the recipe for these pastries. Barec concentrated on each ball of dough with equal determination, for he desperately wished to gain the favour of the people in this Weyr. He hadn't interacted with other Pernese up until he had been snatched from his Hold, and, stuck as he was, Barec needed to find acceptance and security.

Thus, the lad carefully moulded the next rolls of dough into suitable shapes, placing them on the heating platter. As focused as he was, it took a moment for Barec to notice the flash of blue that had entered the Kitchens. Curious, he raised his brown eyes for a moment, noting the golden curls atop the youth's head. He supposed others might call her a 'pretty girl' in that blue dress, but Barec didn't dare make such assumptions for himself. He hardly knew what to interpret as attractive or ugly, an issue that was causing him great stress thus far.

Dropping his eyes back to the dough once more, the candidate continued dutifully shaping the pastries. Suddenly, he heard an exclamation of delight behind him and whirled to face the intruder. The young girl had plunged her thumb into one of the finished pastries, a sight that nearly stopped Barec's heart. Others may have considered this 'taking things far too seriously', but for Barec, the crumpled pastry represented the crushing of his feeble hopes and goals. "What are you doing?" he gasped, raising his eyes to meet the girl's. Except...something wasn't right with that assessment. Although he hadn't seen many Pernese, after living in Araelen for some time, the visage that his eyes locked upon didn't seem quite...feminine enough.

[etoile]

Unaware that he should not have eaten the pastry, Aido looked up at Barec happily. The were extremely good! The perfect thing to satisfy his need for sweets. "Hi!" he said happily, giggling. He extended his hand, this thumb still coated with a thin layer of sugary saliva from where he had licked it. "I'm Aido!" However, his blue eyes kept darting to the pastry, eager to just take it and leave, but he knew that that would be rude.

He didn't understand the other boy's question. "Huh?" he asked. Had he done something wrong? He didn't think he did- he had come into the hall, looking for something tasty, ran off from a drudge... That must be it! "Look, she wasn't much of a fun conversation anyway!" he told Barec in alarm. He hoped he didn't hurt the drudge's feelings! It would be awful if he had- he wanted as many Weyr friends as he could get. "Just tell her that Aido says he's sorry, okay?" he asked hopefully as he lifted the pastry and took one large bite, oblivious to the fact that this was the actual problem.

Chewing happily, he smeared the delectable food around his mouth. He couldn't help that he was a messy eater, nor did he even realize it most of the time. Loose crumbs dropped onto the blue dress, now making him appear not only a girl, but a messy one. Aido also ate loudly, grunting sounds of pleasure as he decided this pastry was definitely worth his time. Pausing, he looked up at Barec from the half-eaten pastry with a happy grin.

"It's really yummy!" he announced happily, giggling. "You should try one- or maybe you should give one to the drudge from me so she knows that I truly am sorry?" Thinking of that again wiped the pert smile from Aido's face, his expression changing to a distressed one. "She wasn't that upset, was she? I didn't mean to! I was really hungry!" he explained, his voice rising in anxiety, and the slight uptilt in the end might be a whimper. The thought that someone was mad at him frightened Aido.

[Kitari]

As absorbed as the girl seemed to be in savouring the pastry, Barec's exclamation caught her attention. Her blue eyes, matching her dress in colour, sparkled with warmth as she greeted him, extending a sticky, saliva-and-crumb covered hand. The lad's eyes locked upon the glistening, wet digits, and he jerked backwards slightly away from it, appalled. He raised his gaze to meet hers once again, entirely baffled as to the meaning of this gesture.

A slight glimmer of a remembered action similar to this brushed his mind, and Barec quickly analyzed the memory. Others, upon meeting, had grasped each other's hands and moved them up and down in strange twitchy motions. Did she expect him to take that hand in his own? Would he be punished if he didn't? "Um...no thanks," the lad muttered, unable to force himself to do it. If this was what was required by social protocol, he'd be fine with staying an outcast.

All of a sudden, the girl, who seemed to be named Aido, started randomly spouting nonsense about some other girl who wasn't fun to have conversations with. Barec's eyes widened as he goggled at this strange Pernese. Was this one of the people his father had warned him about? One of the crazy ones, who would slit your throat if you turned your back on them?

Another thought entered his mind, and the lad visibly relaxed. No, this was likely a sample of that legendary gossip he had heard so much about. The girl was 'gossiping' about other girls, and she'd decided to share her opinions with him.

Relieved by this thought, the candidate nevertheless tensed once again as the pastry was removed from the stone counter altogether. It began to messily disappear into the girl's maw, smeared around her mouth as it was shoved in hastily. Barec's mouth actually fell open at the sight, for he had never imagined anyone could eat so messily. He had thought the kitchen workers were always bragging that girls were far neater than boys.

At the suggestion that Barec should actually eat one of the pastries, or even give one away, he slowly managed to force words out of his open jaw. "No...I...you can't...these are for...supper...we can't eat..." His brown eyes began darting around the kitchens as if expecting a blow to fall at any second. It would only be a matter of time before this disobedience was discovered. "Do you want to get us both in trouble?" he hissed. "What are you doing in here anyway?" Now that was a good question. She obviously seemed to think that she deserved to be here, doing what she was doing. Had he just reprimanded the daughter of an important Weyrmember? The lad thought he would faint.

[etoile]

Aido’s happy features fell when Barec didn’t return the handshake. His lower lip beginning to pucker out, he whimpered, “But, why not? You don’t like me?” This thought worried him a lot. Very distressed now, he whimpered. “Why don’t you like me? Aido wasn’t nice to you? I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! First the lady doesn’t like me, and now you don’t?” he asked, his large blue eyes shiny with unrestrained tears now. He didn’t see what he had done wrong this time- but he would never make a friend at this rate! This thought made him start crying uncontrollably now, his wails now rising loudly enough to attract attention.

Racking his brains, Aido tried to think of something he had done wrong. He had never acted differently than this before, and people liked him back in his home hold! He just wanted to make friends here! Were weyrfolk different? he wondered in horror, but his wailing ceased. Large, bubbly tears continued to roll down his round cheeks, and he looked up at Barec sadly.

Oh, the pastry? So that was the problem! Sniffing, his eyes refilled anew. “I didn’t mean to!” he said despairingly. “I just really wanted something yummy, and it was just sitting there! It was asking me to eat it!” Well, it was. It’s sugary fumes were had drifted right into his path- it was only natural that he eat it. He didn’t get why the other boy didn’t understand that he needed to eat that pastry.

He shook his blonde locks, his blue eyes firm. “We won’t get in trouble, I promise!” he informed Barec anxiously. “They have plenty of pastries- they’re not going to miss one!” After all, who would be counting? Besides, most people liked him and if he started crying, they wouldn’t be able to punish him. He wished achingly that Momo were here to help him make friends. He missed her, but if he was able to Impress, he would find her.

Aido rubbed his nose as he focused his attention back on Barec. “I was looking for something sweet,” he replied sadly, looking at the small remains of the pastry in his sticky hands. He paused for a moment. Well, no one else was going to eat it now, he thought wistfully. Boldly, attempting to drown his sadness in sugar, he shoved the rest into his watering mouth, loving the sweet taste of it.

[Kitari]

Aside from a broom handle coming down on the top of his head, the next worse, possible thing that could happen, did. The little girl's eyes began shimmering with suppressed tears, then with a wail and many heartbroken cries, they streamed over. While the quiet confrontation that had been taking place over the stolen pastry may not have drawn much attention, this certainly did. There was nothing Barec could do now to resolve the situation quietly, and it was deteriorating rapidly.

Although his first concern was the response of the kitchen workers, for Barec had yet to be punished in this new world, it also horrified the lad to realize the pain he had caused another. Without striking a blow, he had sent this girl into uncontrollable tears, and she seemed truly miserable in the belief that he didn't like her. "No, I do, I do like you," he murmured urgently, then added, "You're very pretty." He didn't know if this last bit was at all suitable at the moment, but it seemed that girls loved being showered with praise of their appearance. He was willing to try anything at the moment.

A kitchen lady made her way over, and Barec found himself cowering slightly in on himself, fearing the worst. "What's wrong here?" she cried, her narrow eyes shifting from the self-conscious Barec to the still-wailing Aido. "You there, lad," she gestured to Aido, recognizing him as one of the newer candidate arrivals. His frock didn't faze her a bit; she had multiple, outgoing nephews and nieces, after all. "What's that all over your hands?" Her piercing gaze returned to Barec.

The candidate gestured helplessly at the pastries, and the woman laughed heartily. "Scolding him for stealing pastries, were you? You're tougher than most of the wizened, old grumps here." With that, she gently scooped up another, still-steaming pastry, and placed it in Aido's hand. "Don't be too hard on him," she added to Barec in an undertone. "Some of the younger candidates have a harder time adjusting to Weyr life."

With this, she strode off, leaving Barec unabashedly gaping after her. "Listen," he muttered, turning back to the girl, "I'm sorry I snapped at you..." That was the last response he had expected from the workers. He had been sure he'd be reprimanded, the little girl chastised--wait, hadn't the kitchen lady called her a lad? Why, that was impossible. Barec had not been out and about in Pern for long, but he had at least memorized the basic clothing of the different genders. However, that unusual look about the other's face...

"You're a boy?" he gasped, suddenly realizing the truth of it. The pastry incident was evaporating in his mind already, and Barec stared open-mouthed at the sniffing child. "But you're...wearing..." he gestured weakly. This was too much. His hand, unbeknownst to himself, grasped one of the enticing pastries and stuffed it into his mouth. He needed something to help him recover from these multiple shocks.

[etoile]

Aido sniffled piteously, wiping his blue eyes with the base of his palm. "You like me?" he asked in a squeak, doubt written all over his miserable little face. He hiccuped, then raised his blonde eyebrows when said he was pretty. What a strange comment! Perhaps this was one of those boys that liked other boys... Shard it, what did Momo say they were called? Eager to learn something knew, his smile gradually grew back. The word coming back into his memory, Aido brightened even further. "Are you a homo?" he asked merrily, wiping his eyes once more to leave wet smears across his rosy cheeks. They had leaked out a few fat extra tears, but he wasn't sad anymore. Rather, he was extremely curious. He hadn't met a homo yet!

At the kitchen lady, Aido promptly decided that maybe a couple extra tears couldn't hurt. It would stop them from getting in trouble- crying always helped him out in a tough spot! Whimpering slightly, he pleaded, "I was hungry!" Unfortunately, it came out more like a whine. The blonde boy flinched, hating the sound of it even to his own ears. Much to his relief, the kitchen lady merely gave him another pastry! Happily, he bit into it. "Thanks, lady!" he told her, suddenly happy once more. He jutted his head to Barec. "He's a homo, did you know that? An actual homo! I've never met one!" He paused, then realized something. Something like a shadow covered his fair face as he remembered that 'homo' rhymes with 'Momo.'

Hearing Barec's voice whisked him out of his reverie. He blinked, starting to nod as he chewed, already accepting the other candidate's apology. Aido was happy to have another pastry, have met an actual homo, and been saved from possible punishment by a kind kitchen lady. Maybe she could be his friend...

Silence soon entered his ears where Barec's voice once had been. He blinked, and tilted his head. "Of course I'm a boy!" he replied, thinking nothing of it, biting into his pastry once again. "Dresses just look better on me, don't you think?" Giving Barec a complimentary twirl of his dress, he went back to his food- until he saw that Barec actually seemed surprised! He grinned. "Surprise!" he cried, now bouncing with the pastry in his hands. He liked surprising people, even if he did it inadvertantly.

Aido grinned as he saw Barec finally tried one of the pastries. "See? Aren't they good? Told you that you needed to try it!" he told the other candidate matter-of-factly with his mouth full to bursting with pastry. With that effect, it gave his voice a muffled, probably making his words impossible to understand. Not that Aido noticed, of course.