Solo Stepping Up

[Oralie]

72nd winter, 521

The Inn was quiet this early in the morning, Syna’s light barely brushing over the sandy shores of Syka. Oralie had been awake for at least a chime, her worries over the Inn’s proprietor never letting her have too much peace. Tazrae was still in the Panacea, and while the Kelvic was relieved she had been bought back to the settlement, it did little to dampen the worry that came with the knowledge of her current condition.

With a quiet sigh, she dragged herself out of her bed, hands balling into fists to rub at sleepy golden eyes. She located her cream skirt and pulled it on along with a jewel green blouse before running her fingers through her long locks in an attempt to remove some of the knottier tangles. She left her feet bare, and her only adornment was a hammered gold bangle on her upper left arm.

She padded out of her room and to the kitchen just as the morning sunlight started to creep up the shoreline. Creature, a large Imperial Watcher dog greeted her as she entered the kitchen space, his soft nose pressing into her hand. Even though his tail swished from side to side, she knew that he too could feel that something was wrong, his mistress curiously absent for too long now. Bree, the Ixam who was also usually around at this time was nowhere to be seen, likely still keeping vigil at the Panacea.

Oralie pulled a large skillet out of storage and placed it on the woodstove. There was only one guest at the moment, plus herself and another long-term resident, but she knew that a local or two might drop by at some point during the morning. The Kelvic was by no means a stellar cook, but she had been learning dutifully over the season how to make simple meals. A good thing too, otherwise the guests and residents may well have gone hungry while Tazrae was unwell.

She gathered some kindling logs and placed them into the woodstove along with a little rough tinder. The coals had cooled off overnight and would need some coaxing to bring the stove to life enough to cook the breakfast. After a bit of fiddling with a flint and steel, she had a flame going strongly enough that she could leave it to warm up without having to babysit it.

As the stove heated, Oralie took a damp cloth and wiped down the long table until it was shining. She then laid a few places with knives, forks and a cup each. She went to the cooler box, something she had long given up trying to understand the magic behind, and took out a small pitcher of tropical juice that she placed on the table.

The stove was not quite hot enough yet, so she prepared the food ready for cooking. Oralie’s breakfast was always the same at the moment, defaulted to the meal Tazrae had made on her first day here, with the small change of scrambled eggs. Carefully she sliced strips off a pork belly for bacon and then cut slices of soft bread ready for toasting.


+527

[Oralie]

Oralie poked at the coals and wood again and, deciding it was still not quite hot enough, instead headed outside to check on the chickens Tazrae kept for the Inn. She made her way outside and around to the lawn where the sturdy coop was located. Creature dutifully followed behind her, not wanting to be apart from the only person currently around that he was comfortable with in this worrisome period of time.

The Kelvic did not know a great deal about the birds, but she did know that she liked them. She thought they were funny creatures with all their scratching and flapping and clucking. When they spotted her a few of them clustered around the edge of their run as she approached, fussing in the way that only chickens can. Oralie scattered some feed for the birds and then made sure they were well secured once more against predators. She then collected a couple of eggs that had been laid overnight. Perfect for the mornings breakfast.

She wound her way back to the kitchen with Creature, pausing only for a moment to wonder about the snakes. She had asked Randal the previous day what she was supposed to do with them, but the Founder had assured her that they would be okay for a couple of days. She hoped he was right.

Back in the kitchen Oralie carefully placed the eggs on the counter and checked the stove once more. She was pleased to find that it had heated up sufficiently now, and so she scooped a lump of butter into the skillet which melted almost immediately and then followed it with some of the bacon rashers. They hissed and popped in the butter.

She grabbed a second, smaller skillet and squished it over the heat alongside the first. Then the eggs were cracked into a bowl and then sprinkled generously with seasonings. Oralie flipped the bacon rashers onto a plate and replaced them with some more before starting to beat the eggs together in the bowl. When she flipped the second batch of bacon out onto the plate, she poured the mixed eggs into the skillet.

The second skillet was warm now too, and so she fried off some bread for toast while making sure to continue to stir the eggs as they cooked. If there was one thing she had managed to learn well while she had been working for Tazrae, it was the art of multitasking.

The Kelvic heard someone approaching the kitchen, and looked up as they entered to see it was the lone guest. She smiled at her. “Good morning.” She smiled and nodded back sleepily. “Hello.”
Soon enough everything was cooked and sorted onto plates in the middle of the table. She added the butter dish and before she could lift her arm away the guest tapped her lightly. “Would it be okay to have some tea?” Oralie smiled in response. “Of course! Is there any sort that you like the best?” The woman shook her head. “Just something to wake me up a little.”

[Oralie]

Oralie rummaged for a mug and set it on the counter top and then placed a pot of water on the stove to boil. She turned to the selection of herbs and leaves they kept for tea and considered them for a moment, trying to remember which ones were good for ‘waking up’. After a few moments she had decided and added some mint and some lemon balm leaves into the waiting cup. Mint was energising and the lemon added freshness, and it seemed like the perfect mixture for the morning, so much so that she quickly prepared a second cup for herself.

It did not take the water long to heat up, and she carefully poured it into the cups. She set one in front of the guest, along with a spoon and a small dish of sugar, just in case she wanted some sweetness. While her own tea steeped, Oralie stepped outside onto the main deck to let the guest enjoy her breakfast in peace.

There was a broom tucked away in a corner and she took hold of it and started to sweep the deck. Even though it had not been particularly windy, or even breezy, somehow the sand still managed to get everywhere. Oralie methodically swept it off the edge of the deck and back onto the beach below where it belonged. She cleared the entire deck of sand and the occasional feather or leaf before returning the broom to its home.

Next, she cleared out the firepit. It had been lit the night previous for the guest to enjoy the balmy winter evening outside. Watching the sun go down from the deck, a fire warming your face and a drink in hand was one of the Kelvics favourite things to do these days. She saved the ash in a pot, for she remembered that it was useful to have around, though precisely what for she could not remember. She stacked some new kindling and logs on, ready for the next use, though it likely would not be tonight, for the guest was leaving shortly after breakfast.

That done, Oralie returned to the kitchen where the guest was just finishing up her breakfast. It didn’t look like the other long term resident had stopped by for any food yet – or perhaps she had left early for her work. The guest thanked Oralie for her cooking and then returned to her room with the cup of tea in hand. She assured the Kelvic that she would come and find her when she was ready to leave.

Oralie took a few moments then to have her own breakfast. She grabbed a plate and a slice of toast, smeared butter generously on top and then added a good few slices of the bacon. That was followed by a heaping of the scrambled eggs. She took a large bite, smiling with satisfaction at the taste. Even though Oralie had a fairly slender frame, she could eat as much as a man twice her size if she wanted to thanks to her Kelvic nature. Big cats needed lots of food and thankfully Syka provided it.

[Oralie]

She drank the now lukewarm tea, enjoying the freshness of the blend she had put together. Breakfast over, she stood and collected her plate and that of the guests, taking them over to where she washed the dishes. She returned to the table to sort the food first, returning the juice and butter to the magic cooler to keep them fresh. She slipped Creature a bowl with the last bit of scrambled eggs – for it turned out that Oralie had eaten too much to leave another serving for anyone else – and a rasher of bacon. The last piece of toast she ate plain while she wiped down the table to get rid of any crumbs or smears of bacon grease.

She washed the dishes, starting with the plates and forks as Creature ate noisily behind her. After they had been dried off and returned to their storage places, she grabbed the skillets and gave them both thorough scrubs in the water. Scrubbing the life out of the bacon pan helped release some of her pent up frustration over the situation with Tazrae. She was worried about her friend in a way she had never worried before, and not being allowed to go and see her made the Kelvic tense.

She was putting the skillets away when she heard footsteps, and the guest appeared in her peripheral vision holding the cup. Oralie took it from her and placed it to one side. “Are you ready to go now?” The woman nodded. “Yes, please. It has been so lovely to stay here.” She patted Creature, who was hopeful that there might be more food about.

Oralie picked up the woman’s bag and then followed her out of the Inn doors. She did not know if Tazrae ever walked the guests back to the dock when they left, but she figured she would offer this time. There was only the one woman staying so nobody would miss her at the Inn for half a bell, and with the recent happenings she thought it might be prudent to not let someone in her care go wandering about alone.

The sun had risen fully now, soft but warm winter light bathing the pair in gold as they made their way to the City Core. It was not far – Tazrae really had built her Inn in the perfect spot. She waved to a few fellow Sykans as they went. Oralie thought she had met most of the people who called Syka home now, save for some of the more reclusive ones anyway. The place really was feeling like home, and the friendly faces and sense of community made it doubly so.

Before long they had made it, and Oralie said goodbye to the woman cheerfully outside of the Merchantile. She assured the Kelvic that she would be back to stay again, claiming that she would love to experience the full summer heat one day. She waved to Juli who had appeared to offer the guest some assistance shopping, before turning and heading right back down the Cobbled Path once more, back to the Inn.

[Oralie]

Creature was waiting on the front deck for her when she finally arrived and she scratched him affectionately behind his ears. “Keep your paws crossed that Tazrae comes home today, eh?” His tail wagged at the sound of his master’s name and Oralie smiled sadly at him. “Sorry Creech, she’s not here just yet.” She gave him another pat and headed inside to turn down the guest’s empty room.

The first thing to be done was to remove all the linens off the bed. It took her a few chimes to strip them completely off – she was getting much quicker the more often she did it – and then she folded them all neatly and placed the pile just outside the door. Oralie had not yet managed to learn how Tazrae laundered the linens. That was a task that the Innkeeper herself usually took care of. Thankfully this was the only recently occupied room so there would be enough to replace them, plus the other rooms were still clean for if anyone else turned up wanting to stay.

Before she replaced the linens, Oralie wiped down all the surfaces with a damp cloth and then polished anything wooden with a dry cloth. When everything was shining she went and found her broom again to sweep the floor. Like on the deck, there was sand in here too. It really did manage to get everywhere. This time she swept it into a neat mound near the door, and then pushed it out the front door and off the porch in one swoop of her broom.

She retrieved clean linens from their storage and set about re-making the bed with them. First the sheet was stretched over the bed base and she smoothed all the wrinkles out with her hands. Next the pillows were re-covered and finally the top sheet was done. The crisp linen really did wonders to freshen up the room again.

For a finishing touch, Oralie located some new candles that Tazrae liked to set in various sea shells, and a fresh pot of flowers. She surveyed her handiwork with a satisfied nod before collecting the old linens and storing them away to be washed at a later time.

The Kelvic sank into a chair at the kitchen table with a sigh. The Inn was quiet in a way she had not known before. The absence of guests was not unusual, for it was the winter, but it was the absence of Tazrae that hung heavy over it. Of course, the Innkeeper had spent time away before now, but it was different this time. Knowing she was just up the pathway, out of reach and beyond Oralie’s help was a hard thing to sit with.

She heard footsteps on the front porch and pushed herself back up from the table. As she had heard Tazrae say before, an Innkeeper’s job was never done. Oralie plastered a smile onto her face and went to see what the day had in store for her next.

[Oralie]

XP Award!

Oralie
XP Award:

• Cooking: 2
• Herbalism: 1
• Cleaning: 3
• Animal Husbandry: 1

Lores:

• Self: Worries about Tazrae
• Cooking: Making a cooked breakfast
• Herbalism: Mint and lemon balm make an energising tea
• Cleaning: Sand gets everywhere in Syka
• Self: Thinks of Syka as home now
• Cleaning: How to turn down a room
• Cleaning: Finishing touches to make a room feel fresh

Notes: These are comments.