Important OOC Links

[Amethyst Liondell]

Amethyst wasn't exactly in a hurry, just a little concerned. She wasn't sure when the coronation ball was set for, but the last word on the street in Kirnov, Rostova, was that the Territory seat still didn't have a head chef. That was fine and all, and actually good news for her, but if she wanted to get settled in and get used to the kitchen in time to play her part in the coronation ball smoothly, she'd have to get approval soon, which meant an application and interview soon, which meant getting up to the Hall soon, which meant hurrying.

So, maybe she was in a hurry.

She wasn't going to tell anyone that, not even the nice old lady walking in front of her down the street sooo painfully slow. No, the polite chef would NOT tell the woman to hurry, when it was obvious that she could not go any faster. Biting her lip to keep from sighing, Amethyst slid past the woman, walked a block at a respectable pace before giving up with her patience and started to half-run towards a junction with a larger street where she could hail a carriage to take her up to Hart Hall. There was no way she was walking up there on her own, let alone letting bureaucracy take its course and waiting on a carriage to get her following her response that would follow their initial response to a letter that she wrote and sent. Shaking her head, Amethyst knocked those thoughts out of place. She realized that nobody knew she was coming, let alone expected her, so she was taking a gamble even venturing this far without a letter of notification or request for an audience.

Amethyst snorted at the thought. The lady was almost fresh to the Territory, that Amethyst assumed she'd left many years ago based on the assumption that Lady Zoya was not Eyrien, and was so new to the throne she hadn't even had her coronation ball, bringing Amethyst back to the subject at hand, and the notion of piling more generally unnecessary paperwork onto the young Queen's busy and probably hectic desk seemed just short of monstrous. Not exactly the impression she wanted to give herself, being monstrous didn't exactly help in the job search arena.

Not that Amethyst was monstrous.

By this time, she'd managed to let her feet and arms carry her to a major street and hail a carriage. Used to her body going off and doing the necessary actions of it's own volition, Amethyst didn't miss a beat as she answered the driver with “Hart Hall, please.” In the quiet of the carriage cab, her mind calmed and focused, allowing her to run through her game plan for landing the job. She wasn't exactly the territory's greatest speaker or convincer with words. No, Amethyst's number one arena was the kitchen and edible creations. She already knew that just trying to win over the Queen and anyone else present for her hearing would not be very effective, assuming she even got that far. She liked to think that she could be courteous enough and play the court game long enough to get a hearing, but her minuscule court training would not carry her far enough to land a job with words alone.

The carriage was pulling up the drive when Amethyst pulled herself out of her thoughts, still unsure of how to go about convincing anyone of her ability to cook and, therefore, her ability to hold the job and do well at it. Smiling and thanking the driver, she handed him the requested amount of marks, and turned to face the very large, very official-looking, and very intimidating building in front of her. Hoping against hope that the whispers of Lady Sabina being a different sort of Queen than those of the past, the kind that had male-supporters squirming and that had the manipulative Queens and puppeteers alike angry and squirming, being the kind of person who was fair and usually smiled a lot, hoping against hope that these rumors she'd heard were true, Amethyst took a determined step towards the door.

Her ears barely registered the sound of the carriage pulling away from her as she mounted the steps with equal parts determination and apprehension building in her core. Taking a very unsure hand, she knocked on the door with a rather misleading authoritative sound.

And waited.

She was there, there wasn't much more she could do except knock, smile, and do some convincing. It would not be up to her who listened or how hard they did so. Amethyst very firmly did not think about how much she didn't know how she would do said convincing, and instead focused on keeping up her determination to get that far.

[Zoya Sabina]

The planning for the ball was going well. So far, everything seemed as though it were in place. Zoya was very happy with the progress being made. The staff was adjusting very quickly to the new digs. Zoya had take a majority of the staff she had had as a province ruler to Hart Hall. The only ones that hadn't come with were the ones with families who didn't want to raise their children in the city. She had recommended them to the queen who replaced her and they had all been hired back, something she was very happy to see. They would know the building and its grounds the best and would be able to assist with a smooth transition.

At Hart Hall, they had not been so lucky. The entire staff had been run out of the hall by the fighting over the building that was a symbol of the territory. Leaving her staff working incredibly hard to make everything work. They were scrambling to learn the Hall as well as restock it and arrange everything for their flow. The staff they had been able to hire were doubley lost. Zoya's staff was so used to eachother that they just seemed to know what needed to be done. An outsider who was trying to fit in when everyone was so stressed and had a to-do list that was a mile long, the staff was having a hard time learning the ropes. She knew she would have to make an announcement about this but it could wait until after the coronation ball.

The worst part was that their head chef had been left behind. He had originally moved from Kirnov to care for his four children and, five children later, he was not looking to coming back to a place where they would not have the chance to run around and use their energy. His wife was also very happy that they had stayed put. They were happy in their home and Zoya had wished him well, after offering a one week job just to get her throuhh the ball. He had turned it down though, having never spent a night away from his family.

She had met with the chefs they did have and had told them to make a selection of dishes and she would choose which dishes to serve at the ball. They had all done so well and she had tasted a few dozen dishes a half hour earlier. They had been delicious, every single one of them but coming up with a combination of dishes that would suit was proving to be very difficult. When the knock came on the door, the butler who had been watching her pace answered the door. She stood nearby and tried to see who was behind the door. It was like opening a present but better. It had all the surprise but it also had the promise of an actual conversation.

The butler, a summer sky warlord who was dressed neatly but not stodgily, nodded politely to the witch on the other side. "May the Darkness bless you this day lady. Welcome to Hart Hall. How can assist you?"

[Grigovar Valdena]

Grigovar slipped out of his shirt with care, mostly because he didn’t feel like another scold from the hearth witches about him ripping his clothes. He needed to be free of the confining fabric and feel the sun on his skin, even if with the Glacian chill he wouldn’t be touched by its warmth. He wrapped himself in a warming spell as the first blast of wind struck him and vanished the shirt as he stretched his wings. Vanishing his clothes, he gave a good leaping start and dove with the wind towards the nearest body of water. It happened to be one of the mountain lakes that was just shy of ice-covered and landed with a splash.

It was horrifyingly cold, even through his warming spells, and by the time he was done with his swim, the coming prep for the Coronation and the event itself seemed like a warm breeze in comparison. At least it would be warm. Which was the point of his ritual of diving into the lakes when he knew something particularly tiresome or unpleasant was coming. Nothing seemed quite so bad after the stabbing cold of Glacia’s icy waters.

Shaking himself off, he called in the towel he’d left draped over the fireplace and just picked up before leaving the hall, and wrapped it around his waist, as well as a few more warming spells. It was enough that he wasn’t shivering, and one soft glide down to the front of Hart Hall hadn’t diminished the effect at all. In fact his Craft was starting to do its work, and his wet hair, chest, and wings were beginning to give off little wisps of steam. The spells wouldn’t last very long, but it would give him enough time to get inside and within the protection of the Hall itself and all the spells layered into its stone.

Except there was a little witchling in the doorway, being greeted by a butler, and he caught a whiff of Zoya’s unmistakable psychic scent just a bit beyond. A better sniff of the young woman as he walked up the steps of the hall, still just in the towel about his waist, was surprisingly dark and with that blend of cleanliness and food that he always associated with hearth witches. Well. This was going to be an interesting day. “So, what have we here?”

[Amethyst Liondell]

Gathering her nerves, Amethyst opened her mouth to speak, "Thank you very kindly, Lord, I was wonderi-" before she could finish her phrase, Amethyst was thoroughly distracted by the dark presence that was approaching rather quickly. Frozen to the spot for no other reason than the male's approach had liquidated her courage, Amethyst was frozen in time until his voice broke through her distraction. Smiling embarassedly, she chuckled and turned around to face him.

Crimson tinted her cheeks as she realized that the new arrival was a winged male, she was prety sure they were called Eyriens and were from Askavi, the land from whence Lady Sabina had returned. But not only was he a new race that she'd never seen before, he was quite the specimen. That he had a bit of dampness about him and steam was faintly coming off his wings in swirling vapors, probably wasn't helping her nerves. Caught off guard by his physique, Amethyst was reduced to voicelessness.

His arrival did accomplish one thing, however: she was not as worried about the hearing she was about to request. Oh! the hearing! I should get out of the clouds and back to requesting a presence... maybe if I give them a live example of my skills I can convince them of my capability, Her thoughts were sent into a flurry once again. Though there was a bit more of her kitcheny organization since she had an opportunity to shoot for.

"I am Amythyst Liondell, and I would like to request an opportunity to speak with Lady Sabina, and any other court members who like also like to attend. You see, I'm very interested in taking on a position in the court here, so if I could ask her about it, that would be lovely!" She was off to a good start, but then the realization that she had Hart Hall on one side and a rather distractingly unclothed male on the other, her speech took off a bit like a snowball down the mountainside.

She was very aware that he wore at least the Purple Dusk, and that was enough to make her wary, since she couldn't tell if there was even another Jewel that he wore. She was a little worried because she'd heard that Eyrien Male's tempers were quite a bit more volatile than other races... and if she was interpreting the unique blend of spices and savoriness that flavored his Psychic Scent right, he was definitely a Warlord Prince.

Not entirely sure if she should ask to come inside, since that would probably be rude, and it would probably invite the Warlord Prince in with her, she held her tongue. It was a little unnerving feeling trapped out in the open, she didn't want to invite herself into a closed space with less places to escape to. Internally shaking off her unfounded wariness away, Amethyst put on another smile and decided to treat him like a new flavor: be aware of the potential for spicyness, but don't overestimate anything, and don't make judgements before the actual taste is confirmed.

Nodding once with a reaffirmed smile, she was ready to meet the challenges that would face her.

[Zerilar Herious]

Zerilar was late coming back home to Hart Hall after he had picked up Zoya’s coronation gift. The jeweler that he had went to did a rush job on it, but even so it was marvelous. As well it should be considering how much Zerilar paid for it, but still that gift was a masterpiece and he hoped that Zoya loved it. It wasn’t the gift that he really wanted to get her which was two wedding bands, but she hadn’t even asked him to be her Consort yet let along her husband. He was confident that she would continue to want him as her Consort, but a lifelong commitment. She might not want that ever. They had never really talked about it before there was always something else going on. Perhaps after the Territory knew peace for a couple of years Zerilar would gently broach the subject. Still it was Zoya’s choice, first, last and always. He was her’s and her’s alone until the day she said she didn’t want him.

Zerilar had rode the Opal winds as fast as he could to get back to Hart Hall and as he touched down at the landing site he reached out with a psychic thread towards Zoya, ** Sorry I’m late did you have the tasting without me. I had some business to take care of in town. I'm on my way back home I'll be there shortly. Again I'm sorry I missed the tasting.**

He hated that his reasons were so vague and he hated to keep a secret from Zoya, but he wanted to surprise her with this and he waited longer at the shop because the aged warlork, whose hands could sculpt precious metals as easily as Zerilar could break bones, had trouble remembers where he had put Zerilar’s order. Zerilar helped the old man search his store for over an hour, far longer than he had expected the trip to take, before the old man remember that he put it in a special place so he wouldn’t forget. Zerilar did his best to leash his temper and reminded himself that beating an old man to a pulp was just wrong and Zoya really wouldn’t like it. Besides the man was a master at what he did and Zerilar knew that in the future he’d need use of those hands. Perhaps sooner then he thought if Zoya was as mad as Zerilar thought she might be. Still he hated the idea that he had disappointed her somehow.

Zerilar was glad that Zoya included him on helping prepare for the coronation. Often time it was just getting things that needed to be gotten or seeing that deliveries arrived when they should, but Zerilar loved every moment of it. He was part of the biggest day in Zoya’s life till now and he felt like he was doing his part. Of course he really did want to try all the food that the chefs of Hart Hall were preparing, but he doubted there would be any leftover for him.

As he walked through the gate towards the house he was the bulter talking to a woman and Grigovar behind her in just a towel. He grinned a little bit as mischievous thoughts played in his head and he thought for a moment of causing a gust of wind to take the towel that Grigovar was wearing. Wouldn’t that be a surprise to the female that was standing behind him as well as the Butler and Grigovar. That thought was soon crushed by the fact that Zerilar smelled Zoya’s scent and there was no way in Hell that he wanted her to see any other male’s manhood besides his own. Nope that idea was out, but there was plenty of snow on the ground. As Zerilar slowly walked closer his steps floating just above the snow he used his craft to slowly gather snow around Grigovar and just as he got within 5 feet a snowball shot up and hit somewhere under Grigovar’s towel.

“How was the water today Grigovar cold enough for you?” Zerilar asked cheekily, as he could see Grigovar’s damp hair. He knew he shouldn’t be in a good mood considering that he was late for a date with his Queen, but Zoya enjoyed a good practical joke, so perhaps that would lighten the mood a bit. “Decided to show the whole staff that an Eyrien male’s wing size is just a myth like a man’s foot size…well a myth for some Eyrien males.”

Zerilar knew Grigovar could take the joke, and besides Stas he was the only male that Zerilar truly felt comfortable being around. Grigovar was the little brother that Zerilar never got to pick on, but his feelings for Grigovar were true brotherly love. He was happy that Zoya had picked him to be her Master of the Guard and together with Stas, whom Zerilar had come to greatly respect they formed the Queen’s Triangle. Not to say that Zerilar had better not tread lightly as paybacks were a bitch.

"I am Amythyst Liondell, and I would like to request an opportunity to speak with Lady Sabina, and any other court members who like also like to attend. You see, I'm very interested in taking on a position in the court here, so if I could ask her about it, that would be lovely!" She was off to a good start, but then the realization that she had Hart Hall on one side and a rather distractingly unclothed male on the other, her speech took off a bit like a snowball down the mountainside.

Zerilar smiled at the woman who called herself Amethyst Liondell, but he didn’t say anything to her. He saw Zoya behind the butler and he moved by Grigovar towards Zoya without really thinking that she still might be mad at him for missing the tasting. He’d let Zoya answer since she was Queen and he didn’t want to step on her toes for speaking out of turn. He stood to Zoya’s left and a step behind her.

[Zoya Sabina]

Zoya was kind of enjoying seeing the way things in the foyer were run. If this was how her butlers greeted the doors at all times, she was very satisfied with it. A small smile came to her lips. It was almost enough to subdue the annoyance she felt having to choose the food alone. ZZ was supposed to be there but he hadn't showed. She wasn't sure why and she was a little worried that he was hurt but she knew there was time before she really needed to start worrying. When his mind found hers, she was relieved but at the same time, that annoyance came back. *The tasting is done. I'm in the foyer trying to make a final decision.* She said simply, doing her best to keep her annoyance from travelling along the psychic path.

When Grigy made his entrance, Zoya blushed and covered her face. She loved her eyrien boyos but sometimes, their sense of decorom was frustrating and embarrasing. They had no scruples and were far from being ashamed of their bodies. Of course, both of her males looked good. ZZ was attractive and had her eyes and heart but, like any sister, Zoya could admit that Grigy had taken good care of his body. She admitted it very rarely but as she had been trying to think of people for him to take to the ball, she had to take his body into consideration.

She watched the two and a little idea began forming in her head. They were kind of cute, the Glacian women and the eyrien warrior. In Zoya's experience, it was a very good combination. She bit her lip as she thought it over and, before she could go introduce herself, ZZ came in. She had missed the snow collecting at Grigy's feet until the last moment. She covered her eyes and gave a tiny groan. She loved practical jokes and the fact that these two were very comfortable with eachother but in front of guests? The day before the coronation? And after he was late?

By now, the butler had stepped aside and let the master of the guard and first escort take of everything. She listened carefully to the woman's introduction and, as ZZ gave her an opening, Zoya stepped forward. "It is a pleasure to have you at Hart Hall Lady Liondell. I am Zoya Sabina and this," She said, a hand moving down ZZ's arm. "Is my first escort, Zerilar Herious and the half naked male is Grigovar Valdena. "Won't you please come in and we can find someplace to talk." She said, holding an inviting arm open to the witch.

After sending an order to the kitchen for tea and nutcakes, Zoya found Grigy's mind. *Could you put some clothes on? Not everyone is comfortable with half naked eyriens.* With her eyes on the visitor, she smiled. "What kind of work are you looking for? We have many openings so hopefully we can help eachother."

[Grigovar Valdena]

Grigovar felt his mind cloud with lots of vivid and descriptive curses that he had to bite his tongue painfully hard to hold back. Hell's fire, that snow was cold. And just as he'd been starting to warm up. His cringe shifted to a sharp grin as ZZ slipped past him to join Zoya, letting out a deceptively friendly growl that promised certain retribution later. He and ZZ enjoyed the occasional prank war, which usually ended with Zoya accidentally ending up in the cross-fire and scolding them both up one wall and down the other. He'd just have to be careful her appearance, including that new dress, didn't end up caught this close to the coronation or the previous scolds would be a summer stroll in comparison.

He pushed thoughts of vengeance away though and focused on something a little more important. The cute little hearth witch on the front step. Amethyst, she said. And she was interested in a job... He eyed her consideringly, switching from amused, disgruntled Eyrien to Zoya's Master of the Guard. She looked overall much too sweet for his training, and the idea of pushing her through the paces of Eyrien stick drills made his protective instincts itchy and unhappy but it was precisely that reason she fit what he was looking for. If Zoya gave her the job, he'd be first in line to welcome her, and despite himself, offer her a position in his new training program.

Which was Zoya's cue to tell him he wouldn't be doing any more talking until he was more properly dressed. He flourished a low bow to Amethyst. "Well, Lady, I'm afraid I ought to be getting more properly dressed before joining in the conversation." He stole a glance at Zerilar. "And before my Queen's first escort earns himself a swift kick in the... Ah... Well, I'm off." He didn't feel like finishing that sentence and earning more than the scolding glance he was likely to receive from Zoya. He waved and saluted to all gathered and skittered off down the hall to his room.

[Amethyst Liondell]

Amethyst stiffened once again, at the sudden movement of snow somewhere next to and behind her. Realizing that there was another rather dark Jeweled male present, she nearly froze up in apprehension like an icicle. Her nerves weren't quite anticipating this much excitement in the simple quest for a kitchen job. Granted, it was a job in the Territory Court, but still...

Mother Night, had she been wrong.

The new male, she noted, was also Eyrien, though thankfully fully clothed, and as he spoke, she caught a name, 'Grigovar'. Mulling it over, she decided it must be the half-clothed one's name. Grinning a little, she decided she liked the name, though she certainly felt bad for Grigovar. Snow was awfully cold on bare skin.

When the new male continued on, Amethyst was not lost on the euphemisms and she promptly turned very pink. Thinking very hard about not giving that statement any thought, the young Hearth Witch looked through the doorway for the butler, the so far more 'safe' presence. She was a little concerned however, when she found him replaced by a very beautiful woman who wore a welcoming smile.

Relieved at the decidedly un-male (and fully clothed) new arrival, Amethyst smiled as well. She was a little shocked at her reaction to the current stresses, normally she divided and conquered and not much stood to give her stress, but something about this Grigovar had her nerves in a bunch. Her breath hitched as the lady introduced herself as The Queen of Glacia. Sure in different words, but it was nearly the same thing, nearly. Amethyst noted the lessened formality, and was thereafter a bit more relieved, Amethyst's place was the kitchen, and that was where she thrived, not in the court-lifestyle.

Reminded of the distracting male's state of undress, and being provided with a name as per Lady Sabina's introduction of him, Amethyst blushed again and nodded, casting her eyes somewhere near her feet before looking back up to Lady Sabina and executing her best curtsy to each of them in turn. With the invitation to come inside, and the inquiry of what she was interested in, Amethyst felt her passion return in full force.

Smiling contagiously, Amethyst's eyes sparkled as she explained and stepped gingerly over the threshold after knocking the snow off of her shoes, “I heard there were some kitchen staff openings, and I wanted to apply for one of them, if they are still open. If possible, I'd like to cook a little something for you, to show you what I can do, something of an interview, I suppose. But naturally, only if that is alright with you, Lady.” Proud that she'd remembered to pace herself and breathe properly even as she spoke of her life-long passion, Amethyst was already somewhere near the clouds when Prince Valdena addressed her.

His low bow was plenty to make her heart flutter, sending her a bit higher away from the ground. She curtsied as best she could after Grigovar had bowed in farewell, remembering her rarely used courtly manners. As he spoke, she felt a smile and giggle bubbling up from within, “And before my Queen's first escort earns himself a swift kick in the... Ah... Well, I'm off." at his confession, Amethyst couldn't help herself, and she found herself pleasantly giggling at his words.

Something in her chest settled as she watched his departure, but another something closely related wanted to smile with him again. Filing that away, Amethyst felt her present goal acutely and refocused herself appropriately. If she earned a place in Lady Sabina's court, there would be more time for meeting and greeting. There was, however, nothing wrong with hoping for sooner occasions, right?

[Zerilar Herious]

Zerilar nodded his head as he looked over the guest and he enjoyed the feeling of Zoya’s hand running down his arm. “It’s nice to meet you Lady Liondell.” He said as he wondered if she was on the list of cooks that he was supposed to have all ready tasted with Zoya or if she just heard of the position and decided to try to impress them. Zerilar was impressed with her moxy of coming up here and asking directly for a shot at working at the kitchen.

He grinned over at Grigovar and he knew that Grigovar’s revenge prank would be a good one. He spent a psychic thread after Grigovar, ** Hurry back. **

The eyrien looked back towards the woman that wanted to work in the kitchens. He wanted to speak and ask questions, but he knew that wasn’t his place to ask those questions. This was Zoya’s duty as this was her court. He was there to support her. At the mention of cooking something to eat Zerilar’s stomach loudly grumbled. He hadn’t had anything to eat since a light breakfast because he and Zoya were supposed to be doing a tasting. He could only imagine how stuffed Zoya must be after eating all that food, especially if they made eyrien sized portions for him and his appetite.

He coughed a bit, “Excuse me I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I was late for the tastings of the other cooks and I think that I missed them all together.” He excused his grumbling stomach as he rubbed his belly.

[Zoya Sabina]

Zoya loved her boys but she knew there would be retaliation. She just hoped that Grigy would wait until after the witch had a little time to get adjusted to life in Hart Hall before they did anything more infront of her. Two eyriens who occasionally broke out into wrestling matches was an intimidating thing for most people. Zoya felt for this poor woman. Of all the days she could have showed up, this was probably not the best. There was a lot of stress that needed to be let go and Zoya knew that the prank was just a part of that. Letting some of the stress go.

Zoya listened to Amethyst attentively. She liked the way the woman was approaching the topic. Her thoughts were very well thought out and articulated well. As Zoya stepped into the sitting room and offered her guest a seat. She smiled at Zerilar as he spoke about being hungry. She didn't want to say anything about having just eaten a lot of food, not wanting to discourage Amethyst before she had the chance to impress. She took ZZ's hand though and continued leading the trio through the halls.

She was glad to see that the plate of nutcakes and tea waiting for them. How her staff could guess her so quickly was still beyond her but she was very glad they could. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I will inform my kitchen that they will be having a guest in their midst shortly. Until they are ready, can I interest you in some nucakes and tea?" She asked politely, waiting for Amethyst to sit before she took her own seat.

Zoya poured tea, offering some to ZZ as well. "Your research is correct. We are looking for a few different positions. Our biggest needs are an expeditor and a few pastry chefs. I also had to leave my head chef out of the city with his family so if you really impress me, you could get that." She said with a mischevious smile. "If you can make enough food to satisfy Prince Herious and Prince Valdena's appetites, I will be thoroughly impressed. I will leave the quality up to my current chefs though as well as my own taste buds. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

[Grigovar Valdena]

Grigovar slipped into his room and for once paused when presented with his closet, which had never really been a challenge before when he was dressing for just any other day with the Court. But having made such a poor impression on Amethyst, he felt oddly like he owed her a better second view. He ran his fingers over the hangers that mostly carried work shirts or warm shirts, until he reached the sparse corner of shirts he wore when he was expected to look like a court member instead of the warrior he was.

Plucking a warm maroon button-up from its hanger and careful of his wings while putting it on, he slipped into some comfortable underwear and a pair of dark brown leather pants that tempered the effect of the finer fabric. He crossed to the plainly framed mirror hung on the wall to run a hand through his hair a few times before deciding it looked better rumpled and turning on his heel and out the door to look for the group. **There any of that tasting food left?** He sent to Zoya, as he'd opted out of the main event and instead went for his swim. It had been mostly Zoya he'd had in mind when refusing though. She loved him, but after the first few "I think it tastes good" comments, she probably would have throttled him for not having a "real opinion".

[Amethyst Liondell]

Amethyst stifled a small laugh when she heard Prince Herious’s stomach grumble, and she wondered absently as they walked down the hall if he’d eaten recently. No sooner than she wondered, Amethyst got her answer, ” Excuse me I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. I was late for the tastings of the other cooks and I think that I missed them all together.”

Amethyst felt a fit of fussing begin to well up and she dutifully squashed it. It was something she was used to after her entire life of worrying about how much people ate. Even complete strangers got a stern gaze if she learned they hadn’t eaten recently but were hungry.

With dancing blue eyes, Amethyst walked behind them looking forward to meeting them personally, as they seemed like friendly enough people. How bad could an Eyrien who didn’t feed himself properly be after all? She decided to leave the potentially discouraging answer unfathomed and reminded herself that she really knew almost nothing about these people, and that being too friendly or candid too soon could be dangerous either in health or getting the job.

Lady Sabina led her down the hall and into a well kept room that was already furnished with what smelled like fresh nutcakes and tea. Feeling a bit of her apprehension over getting to know Lady Zoya and Prince Herious slip away at the familiar scent, Amethyst’s smile become more sure and less fabricated.

“Thank you Lady, tea would be lovely,” Amethyst replied. Realizing that Lady Sabina wasn’t going to sit until Amethyst had done so, the stubborn Hearth Witch squashed her hostess habits and sat in a cushioned chair near the door.

When Lady Sabina continued, Amethyst paid rapt attention, especially when she began to list the positions available, ”…. I also had to leave my head chef out of the city with his family so if you really impress me, you could get that." She said with a mischievous smile. "If you can make enough food to satisfy Prince Herious and Prince Valdena's appetites, I will be thoroughly impressed. I will leave the quality up to my current chefs though as well as my own taste buds. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

Amethyst was all ears. She’d heard that particular rumor, but hadn’t settled on it to prevent setting herself up for disappointment. Now that she knew better though, she was going to show them her best skills and abilities. Some she remembered with an especially fond smile, as they were craft tricks especially for cooking that were passed down through her family, everyone adding their own to the list, and they were her favorite gift from her mother. She would be Lady Sabina’s Head Chef, and nothing short of a disaster greater than what she’d already experienced would keep her back. Except maybe having enough food for Prince Herious’ appe-

and Prince Valdena’s…

Amethyst hadn’t heard that at first, but something in her chest told her not to worry. Besides, it would be an excellent opportunity to test his true flavor.

Looking forward to the adventure of making enough food for two fully grown Eyrien warriors was not exactly an everyday opportunity, and Amethyst wasn’t exactly sure how to interpret the generally universal opinion that they ate a ‘whole mountain of food’. More interested in figuring out what a ‘whole mountain’ amounted to, Amethyst became more and more relaxed with herself.

Feeling her natural self beginning to shine through, Amethyst took the tea offered her graciously and also picked up a nutcake. She grinned as she felt the warmth soaking into her fingers, “I love fresh nutcakes. They remind me of being at home, don’t you agree?” Not quite willing to jump into a cut and dry interview with just a skeleton of information, Amethyst carefully tested out the more friendly and informal route. She didn’t want to just work for Lady Sabina, who held the future of Glacia in her rumored-to-be-capable hands, Amethyst wanted something a little more, friends perhaps.

After all, it was good to be on friendly terms with the chefs, your food tended to taste better that way.

[Zerilar Herious]

Zerilar smiled as he got some tea and he waited for Lady Amethyst to take a nutcake before he grabbed one and popped it into his mouth. He knew better to fill up on nutcakes especially if Amethyst was going to be making them something more to eat, but he was really hungry. To stave off the hunger he ate another two nutcakes before he took a drink of his tea. “Oh do you have a recipe for fresh nutcakes? These nutcakes are all right, but they are just missing something since the last head chef left.”

He was curious about Amethyst and he leaned back, “So what kinds of Hearth Craft do you know? Where is your home? Do you have any specialties that you like to cook? What kind of sweets do you like to make? ” Zerilar did have a sweet tooth and he always kept little candies and sweets around just to snack on, although he was in such a rush to get to the jeweler and get back that he forgot to stock up on some and he didn’t need to dip into his emergency rations that were in the cold box he carried in his personal space.

Zerilar picked up another nutcake and ate it as he waited for Amethyst to answer. Just cause the nutcakes didn’t taste exactly right didn’t mean that they weren’t good. He had all ready probed them for every poison that he knew as well as the rest of them just in case someone was trying to hurt Zoya. It never hurt to be a little cautious until there was a head cook they could trust.

[Zoya Sabina]

As Zoya sat, the tea and cakes properly distributed to all present, Zoya sat down to relax a little. She wasn't sure when the last time she had simply been able to sit and let her feet rest was. The girl in her imagined a warm bubble bath with some candles and a music crystal sounded very nice at that moment. She was sure she wouldn't be able to do that tonight. She may fall asleep before she got all the way into the tub and then she would have to hide a gushing head wound on top of everything else.

But she smiled politely at the hearth witch and raised an eye brow at ZZ when he took multiple nut cakes. The smile however did not leave her face. Oh she was annoyed that he had left her to do the tasting all alone but to be honest, she was more concerned over his health. With him wolfing down nutcakes, she wondered if he had eaten and there was a tiny part of her that wondered what it was he had been doing. That voice was easily pushed aside though. She trusted ZZ and if he skipped something that was scheduled, she was sure he had a very good reason. He better.

The question about being reminded of home was a difficult one to answer. Home was Glacia, where her mother backed nutcakes about once a month as a special treat and Zoya helped stir the bowl. She was good at stirring. But there was also Askavi that was home and baking was not one of the activities she had done often when she was young and nutcakes were so common place that it hadn't mattered. "I do like nutcakes. Not quite as much as my first escort but they do have a very calming feel to them."

Then Grigy's voice filled her head. He had changed very quickly and she couldn't supress the laugh as suspicion filled her. A very good suspicion of course. *Don't worry about that. Lady Liondell will be cooking for everyone. Just come on back to the sitting room and we should be all set to go. Could you announce that the kitchen was ready?* She asked before returning her attention to her guest and ZZ. "I'm very sorry. Prince Valdena will be here momentarilly. He is just checking on the state of the kitchen."

Zoya took a quick sip of her tea before continuing. "I think I should warn you about something. Besides having to cook a monstrously large amount of food everyday, you will have to learn an entirely new recipe style. We make a good amount of native Askavi dishes here which makes sense considering how many people have spent a significant amount of time in the territory. While the other cooks do know the recipes, I will teach them to you." She said with such certainty that Zoya thought she was giving the woman a job. "If you get the position of course." She said, catching the mistake with a shy grin.

[Grigovar Valdena]

Grigovar changed his route at Zoya's reply, so he'd pass through the kitchen on his way. He received a few wary glances from the kitchen staff who knew he had a tendency to "get himself a snack" which usually left anyone with cooking training within sight cringing at his technique. He enjoyed a well-cooked meal from a skilled chef, but there were times where hunger preferred expediency over proper protocol.

And he'd never felt entirely comfortable requesting something he had a craving for when the rest of the kitchen seemed to always have something to do. Like now. But he cornered someone who seemed to be more in charge than the rest and asked them to clear a space and get some ingredients ready for a new cook auditioning for Zoya. The wariness in the air turned to curiosity, and the staff bustled about with a bit more liveliness at the prospect of more interesting company.

Dodging busy cooks, Grigovar slipped out of the kitchen and to where he sensed the bubble of Dark-Jeweled strength that could only be the party he'd just left. He entered in time to hear Zoya say "If you get the position of course." That his Queen had forgotten to qualify ahead of time was a testament to the quick liking she must have taken to the hearth witch. It was understandable, with that mix of spice and sweet so evident in both personality and composure.

He smiled at all assembled, taking in the nutcakes and cook with a particularly warm regard. "The kitchen's ready when you are, Lady." He executed a properly courtly bow before moving aside to let her pass by him to the kitchen.