(Communal kitchens)kitchen dek (solo)

[Taln]

78th of Summer working Each of the dek still had wet hair after a forced bath in Tisuma. No one, even a dek, could work the kitchens until they were cleaned first. All of them were hungry and tired with multiple half healed injuries, some of them even weaving a bit on their feet. They were just another group of dek getting their orders for the day. They huddled together like a herd of terrified sheep, but not one of them made a sound. Taln stood in the center of the bunch, a good half a head taller than the group that crowded tightly into each other for comfort. The Chiet didn't have much status above a dek, but it was enough that he could still give them their kitchen chores for the next ten bells. The man pointed at a few in the group to separate them as he spoke. "That one, you and her are fastest so you'll be bringing the trays where they should be. If you drop and break the tray or plate, I drop and break every last one of you." He motioned with a hand to get them moving. He pointed next to the smallest and thinnest of the group. "Your pathetic sniveling lot will be washing tables and dishes. If even one item is missing or broken, I'll give -all- of you the same fate. Move it." Only a half dozen dek remained. The tallest and strongest looking of the bunch, usually reserved for the hardest and heaviest of manual labor. He eyed them one by one, looking extremely stern. The man wanted to make sure the dumb brutes were well and sufficiently cowed before allowing them near the boxes of very important food. "I'll have no messing about in this group--got it? You're all big dumb brutes so you can carry the boxes from around back. I don't expect any of you fools to be able to read so I'll make it easier for you great bunch of stupid gits. Green tags go to the front of the kitchen, blue tags to the specialty blocks and red tags to the yasi training table blocks. If anyone even thinks of dropping a box, I'll drop you off Edge of the World, got it?! Go you stupid brutes. Thank the gods this needs only muscle and not a shred of brains." Taln shuffled over to the back where the stored boxes were kept. He knew there was enough food in a single one for him to eat good for a week, but didn't dare to open it. He glanced at the tag and hefted the box easily swinging it--accidentally into the face of the nearest dek! He quickly set down the box and saw the man sprawled on the ground clutching his face. "What the petch is going on here? If anyone's fighting over food, you'll answer to me!" The chiet glanced at the dek on the floor, moaning in pain and kicked him to get up. "Go to the healer's tent drudge--if you got blood on the food, I'll beat you when you come back!" His irritable gaze shifted to Taln standing there and he planted a hand in the center of the dek's chest to shove him back. Even with no resistance, the angry Inarta couldn't move Taln more than an inch by force. Like an obedient horse, Taln stepped back freely, remaining silent. "This ain't a break you dumb brute. In fact, you're taking that one's shift too. Double work shift. Stop looking at my feet you stupid dek--move!" Walking angrily, the chiet cursed his way back into the kitchens and thought no more of the incident. With no one else in sight, Taln easily opened the large box, snagged an apple from within and closed it back up. Just as the injured man stumbled to his feet, the tall dek shoved an apple in the man's hand and quickly nodded for him to get to the Infirmary. He looked all around him before moving and started taking the large heavy boxes in two at time. The kitchens were always warm which was a blessing in the colder months, but in the late days of summer, the heat was brutal. As bell two of the hot afternoon approached, not one person in the kitchen wasn't soaked with sweat. Four deks and two yasis had passed out in the heat, leaving their co-workers to pick up the slack. Taln couldn't hold more than two large boxes at a time, but did his best to keep things moving. There was only him and one other dek left to move the enormous stack of food boxes inside. His legs, arms and back ached at the heavy work but he kept going till time was called for his shift to end. Coppery curls were plastered to his face and neck with sweat and his chest and arms were filthy with dirt from the produce boxes. He'd done the work of five deks today, and the Gods only knew how much more he could take. Taln was too hot and too exhausted to eat. At the six bell mark that night, he trudged wearily to Reech. The bird was growing so fast and needed Taln's full meals to keep growing. After feeding and watering the bird, he lay with his back against the wall. It was blessedly cooler, dimmer and quieter down here. He thought Reech would be ready to leave the nest any day now as autumn approached rapidly. The dek pushed it to the back of his mind, knowing that when his bird decided to leave, he'd desperately want to follow. The exhaustion was total and complete. His hands and limbs shook with weakness. The lack of food, sleep deprivation, isolation and cruelty were taking a heavy toll on him, physically and mentally. Filthy, starved and bone deep weary, he cradled Reech on his lap and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.