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[Isaak Orelsson]

Like almost any growing boy, Isaak’s favourite time of day was mealtime. Any mealtime, it didn’t matter; as long as he was eating, he was happy. Or the very least, as happy as he ever got. Ordinarily, he tried to get food from the kitchens before or after dinner, to avoid the crowds of trainees in the dining hall, but today Eira had almost marched him up to the dining hall, just to make sure that he got at least one day of ‘real’ socialization this week. Of course, Isaak’s experience of being social was essentially one of finding a corner and staying as quiet as he could, but Eira wasn’t going to stop trying until he held something that vaguely resembled a conversation.

Once he’d loaded his tray with food, as much as he could fit, his glanced over the dining hall until he spotted a mostly empty table at the back of the room. He made his way through the crowd with more ease than he was actually feeling, watching each and every step that he took carefully. With his hands full, he didn’t have them to flail for balance, which was something that he found himself doing a lot of late. He had to be careful where he put his feet otherwise he’d end up landing flat on his face. He made it to the table at the back of the room in one piece, though, and he settled down at the table as close to the back wall as he could get. Eira rolled her eyes at him but he ignored her. Food was calling, and he was absolutely starving; he knew, rationally, that he wasn’t going to die if he didn’t eat, but it definitely felt that way. At home, at the Hold, he most likely wouldn’t have gotten this much food, and if Holderkin boys could survive on plates half this size, he could too – they were working harder than he was, even with his weapons lessons and equitation classes. Even after his morning runs and afternoon rides with Eira he still felt restless, so as far as he was concerned he could have been working harder. Either way, working hard or not, he was still pretty darn hungry when the evening meal rolled around.

Even though the dining hall had been rather crowded when Isaak had gotten there, he wasn’t the last to arrive, and so while he was watching the last few empty seats around the table he was at closely – waiting, hoping that they’d stay empty – he knew that he wasn’t going to be sitting there by himself for long. Slowly the other tables around him began to fill up and he sighed. Maybe if he ate fast enough, he’d be able to get out in time to avoid the other people who were bound to sit with him. Probably not; at least, not unless he wanted to eat so fast that he made himself sick.

***

Sid, even when he was hungry, didn’t rush to the dining hall. He was hungry today, because these days he was always ready for some food – and hey, eating was something that didn’t require much energy. He could handle that.

He and Tavi weren’t the last ones to come into the dining hall, but given Sid’s loitering he wouldn’t have been surprised if they had been. He meandered after Tavi to get his food, and once his tray was mostly full he turned to face the rest of the room, hoping that they weren’t too late to find two seats that were together. Not that Sid was reluctant to make friends, but he didn’t get to see all that much of Tavi, and mealtimes were as good a time as any to catch up and spend some time together. It didn’t feel like home, since eating in a dining hall like this was definitely anything but home-like, but it was kind of close. He was getting a little homesick, even if he was technically still in Haven, so he was half-heartedly looking for things that made him feel, at least a little bit, like he was still at home. In actuality, the only times he wasn’t feeling a little homesick was when he and Tavi got the chance to have a good chat, or when he was playing his gittern.

Finally, he spotted a table towards the back of the dining hall that was mostly empty. There was one Herald Trainee sitting there, focused almost entirely on his very full tray, but there were a good five or six seats still available. Sid nodded in that direction. “There’s one,” he said and started in that direction.

[Summer Gael]

Well I feel refreshed, Summer thought with a grin as she walked into the dinning hall, hands just finishing tying her wet curls back from her face. Satisfied that it wouldnt bother her, she turned toward the food line all the while rubbing her still chilled arms, glad for the warm, and most importantly, dry clothes that she now wore.

:I told you not to bother visiting me. You’re just going to catch a cold.: Godric chastised his Chosen, his scolding only succeeding in making the young girl laugh. :That’s an old wives’ tale and you know it you old grouch: Summer shot back, her voice sparkling with mirth as she shook her head in amusement. She knew that her Companion was glad that she had gone to visit him despite his tone and nagging comment. The rain had been going on for what felt like forever, but thought it had succeeded in preventing them from riding like they normally did every day, Summer would be damned if she let it stop her from seeing Godric completely. True, the trip to the stables had soaked her completely through and frozen her to the bones but… well she’d live.

Stretching her arms far above her head like a cat- and popping her back loudly in the process- the petite trainee set to work grabbing herself some much needed food. After piling her plate with more food than one would think necessary for a person twice her size, Summer turned to look around the room and decide who she was going to sit with today. Unlike another Herald trainee in the room, she never missed a chance to socialize and her gaze instantly caught numerous different friends spread about the room motioning for her to join them. She was just about to join Kathy, a mage trainee she hadnt sat with in days, when her eyes landed on someone she thought she’d never catch in the dinning hall when there were actually other people around.

:Well what do you know, Isaak joined the living!: She excitedly sent to Godric as she gave Kathy an apologetic look and then turned to make a beeline for her fellow Herald trainee’s table. What luck! It had been weeks since she’d managed to bump into him, maybe months. The little bugger had to be the best at the school at avoiding every other living creature around, Summer included if not especially. Already he’d managed to wiggle his way away from her about oh…a hundred times minimum, but of course that just made Summer that much more determined to help bring him out of his shell and help him get to know everybody. Nobody should spend their life as a hermit! How sad! Especially not a Holderkin boy with his head all mixed up with crazy thoughts of women sitting on tiny stools by the fire all day while men trounced around outside. There was so much more to the world, so much for her to teach him.

Grinning from ear to ear, Summer wound her way across to the hall, not surprised that Isaak had picked the table at the very back to try to hide from everyone. Poor guy; she couldn’t imagine how lonely he must be always alone. Granted, it was his own fault, but from everything she’d read the Holds sounded like their own little world; Haven had to be terrifying. If only he’d let her in! Then she’d be able to help him get adjusted. Well, like her uncle always said, the best things in life always took work.

“Heyla Isaak!” Summer said brightly as she set her plate down and slid into the seat beside him. “Fancy seeing you here. How have you and Eira been? Stayin’ dry I hope, that rain’s a might bit cold let me tell you. Ran through it m’self a while ago and I’m still chilled to the bone!”

[Tavi Crebshaw]

Walking with Sid was like trailing a pull-toy behind him, except that if Tavi had been pulling his old wheeled wooden horse, he'd be certain the thing was following him and be able to give it a tug when it lagged too far behind. Come to think of it, his whole family's life would've been made a lot simpler if Sid had come mounted on wheels.

Since seeing MindHealer Ale, Tavi's life had improved. Not noticeably, but there was a bloom of hope in his chest that gave him relief from that awful blackness that weighed him down. He was still underweight and pale and a little twitchy, but at mealtimes he filled his plate full and ate with relish. Sure, sometimes it came up again, but more often than not it stayed down. Odds he was willing to take.

“There’s one.”

Sid taking the initiative still made Tavi smile. It was still so unique and unexpected. And the table he indicated was perfect. Out of the way, semi-private, and with only one other trainee so focused on his food that Tavi wondered if he was new and had come from a place he'd been starved at. The boy was wearing an expression Tavi wasn't used to seeing on a Herald Trainee. It was so grim. Sure, some of them were serious, but this was way past that into... moroseness? Anger without all the bells and whistles.

Just as he and Sid put their trays down at the end of the table, a seat away from the Herald Trainee Of Doom, what looked like his perky sidekick plopped herself beside him. The girl exuded rays of sunshine in the face of the stormy weather so that it almost hurt to look at her.

“Heyla Isaak! Fancy seeing you here. How have you and Eira been? Stayin’ dry I hope, that rain’s a might bit cold let me tell you. Ran through it m’self a while ago and I’m still chilled to the bone!”

She was the human equivalent of a month-old Beagle puppy. It was both fascinating and terrifying. Tavi chuckled as he took a sip of milk. Looking over at Sid, he asked, "So what homework have you forgotten about tonight?"

[Isaak Orelsson]

The downside to having picked the table that he had, Isaak quickly discovered, was that people were inclined to flock to the empty seats. Moreover, because he'd chosen the chair in the far corner, the minute that someone sat down next to him, he was trapped; there was no way he could get past them without squeezing by, and chances were the only way he'd be able to do that would be rudely. Isaak was many things, but rude (at least, by his standards) wasn't one of them. Being stuck in the corner wasn't something that Isaak had considered when he sat down, which wasn't surprising given that he never put himself into this sort of situation; avoiding the dining hall had that benefit.

Isaak was so focused on his food that he didn't notice the approach of any of the three trainees, though he did glance up when he saw the Bardic twins set their trays down out of the corner of his eye. He took them in with a faint sense of irritation, but nothing serious; Bardic trainees were something that he didn't understand but had learned to accept with much more ease than he had most other things in Haven. He hadn't been exposed to much by way of music, but even Holderkin life wasn't completely devoid of it; he just couldn't justify spending an entire lifetime in pursuit of music. It seemed rather useless to him – pretty, but ultimately useless. The finer points of 'culture' were lost on Isaak. However, he wasn't going to begrudge Bardic trainees for deciding to study music, since there was obviously something there that he didn't understand, and it wasn't as absurd as some of the other things he'd been exposed to since coming to Haven. If anything, he found their uniforms worse than their actual topic of study; bright red for Bards? Gods, what moron had decided that? At least these Bardic trainees, almost disturbing mirrors of one another, seemed to be rather quiet given that they were... well, Bardic trainees.

He was just about to turn back to his food when there was more movement out of the corner of his eye, and he jumped – well, twitched, which was close enough. Given Isaak's view on women and loud people in general, a twitch was almost an equally appropriate response anyway. “Heyla Isaak! Fancy seeing you here. How have you and Eira been? Stayin’ dry I hope, that rain’s a might bit cold let me tell you. Ran through it m’self a while ago and I’m still chilled to the bone!” Isaak stopped inhaling his food long enough to glance at Summer and decide that yes, indeed, she was talking to him.

:I hate you.: Isaak thought at Eira; it was her fault he was in the dining hall to start with. She laughed at him and said, :It's good for you. Be nice. Who knows, maybe you'll actually – dare I say it? - enjoy your meal. If nothing else, you'll slow down long enough to taste everything.: Isaak's only response to that was a flash of resentment, which only seemed to amuse Eira more.

“Heyla Summer,” he said, forcibly reminding himself to be nice. It wasn't as though she hadn't been anything but nice to him – it was just hard to actually be nice to people, especially girls, when consciously all he thought was that he wanted to be left as alone as possible. Subconsciously, it was a different story, which was probably why he was reminding himself to be nice at all. “We've been alright – not dry, but no one is with the rain. And yourself and Godric?” It was stilted and clearly uncomfortable, but it was a question. Eira managed to stop herself before she made a snide comment to the effect of miracles never ceasing, but Isaak could already tell what she was thinking anyway.

***

Sid wasn't so disturbed by the Herald Trainee's cloud of stay-away-from-me, but he was a little surprised, too, for the same reason that Tavi had noticed his expression; Herald Trainees, at least not as far as Sid had seen, were not that... depressed looking. Or anti-social looking. He'd heard rumours about the Herald Trainees, and how they had more sex than rabbits did, and somehow seeing a trainee who was older than he was looking like he hadn't even spoken to another Trainee before didn't quite fit with the image that Sid had built up of Herald Trainees in his mind. The boy must have been new, Sid decided, though didn't the Heralds have some sort of mentorship program going?

It was far too much effort to think about it, even though he'd been spending more time in composition class learning to just make stuff up in order to write ballads, so he shrugged and started on his dinner. He did glance up again when a second Herald trainee sat down, the complete anti-thesis of the male trainee, but he didn't really pay them much attention. Well, he tried not to pay them much attention, but the girl's voice wasn't exactly quiet, and even if it had been he had the feeling that her enthusiasm would have been contagious. Tavi, to his left, chuckled and said, "So what homework have you forgotten about tonight?"

“I don't forget about homework so much as.... 'forget' about it,” Sid pointed out. He prodded at some of the steamed vegetables on his plate for a brief moment before he fessed up, as he always did, “Math. And composition. But the math's easy, and I'm always makin' up my homework anyway, so it's not like it's a big deal.”

[Aiden Tenbrook]

“Get out there or I’m announcing your arrival and throwing you out there.”

Aiden quickly fled back into the depths of the kitchen and away from his hiding place just inside the door like a mouse escaping the shadow of a cat. Horrified at the thought of having all those eyes focused on him, he turned to gape at his mentor, wide eyes looking up at the tall man pleadingly.

“You wouldn’t.” Unfortunately, the mage knew very well that the man always followed through with his promises

Grinning almost evilly, Gero nodded. “Oh yes I would,” he confirmed. Eyes softening as he moved to place his hand on Aiden’s shoulder in a fatherly manner, he turned to boy back to the dinning hall and its many trainees, one in particular that he knew his pupil was practically worrying himself into illness over. “I saw you stress over what to make all this morning and work your ass off to get it right this afternoon. I’m not about to let you talk yourself out of giving it to the darn boy. And yes—” Gero cut Aiden off when he saw the third year start to protest. “I know you are talking yourself out of it. I was watching, you did everything fine, now go.”

Gero turned Aiden around and gave him a gentle push toward the table holding his still warm dessert. Aiden looked over his shoulder at the cook then sighed when his pleading look was met with the stubborn “it’s my way or the highway” expression he was all too familiar with. “Alright…” he surrendered, picking up the plate of glazed lemon blueberry scones that he had indeed been stressing over all day. They smelled and looked wonderful, he only hoped that they tasted wonderful as well and that Tavi would like glazed lemon blueberry scones. That concern had been one of the excuses Gero had accused him of over thinking.

Failing to receive any sympathy after heaving a long, pitiful sigh, Aiden hunched his shoulders and moved into the dinning hall…and felt the double doors close instantly behind him. Jumping slightly in surprise, Aiden glared back at the solid barrier forcing him to go through with his plan. “That wasn’t necessary,” he grumbled, cheeks burning at the fact that Gero thought he had to resort to that.

The Mage trainee didn’t have to look around around the hall to know where Tavi had gone; he’d seen the other boy come in and had watched him and his twin sit down at a table in the back. Flushing brighter with every new gaze that turned his way when a nose caught the tantalizing aroma emanating from the plate in his hands, Aiden wiggled his way around chairs to his destination. He wished dearly that Gero hadn’t been around this morning to ask what he was doing, because then he might have been able to avoid this. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to thank Tavi for what he had done- he really did- but he kept wondering about things like: did he do it right? Did Tavi like lemons or blueberries or even desserts of any kind for that matter? Did the Bard want another boy to give him a desert? That last thought hadnt occurred to him until he’d been adding the glaze and had been forefront on his mind since. Weren’t girls supposed to do this for boys, not other boys?

While his mind continued its efforts to talk him into turning around, Aiden’s feet took him to Tavi. Before he knew it, he’d crossed the great room and was standing across the table from him, a number of eyes on him. “Um I…I mean h-hi Tavi. This is…well I just wanted—” Realizing that he was making a fool of himself, the third year swallowed and made a conscious effort to finish his sentence. “Here, I made this. Thanks for the other day,” quickly tumbled out of his mouth as he placed the tray in the center of the table. Of course by “other day” he really meant practically a month ago. Well, nobody had every said he was oozing confidence.

---------------------------

Normally, Summer wasn’t one to ignore other people at her table; if she didn’t know them she figured it was the perfect opportunity to do so. However, Isaak was practically becoming a legend- something heard about but never seen- and she wasn’t about to miss this chance to talk to him. Although, she might have to try to bring the two twins into the conversation shortly; it might be a good chance to help Isaak meet new people too.

:Tone it down a little Summer: Godric said gently. :I think a little less enthusiasm might be best for breaking past this one’s walls:

A little affronted, Summer frowned both mentally and physically. :Are you saying I’m loud?: The line was silent and that was all the answer she needed. It left her caught between amusement and offense. :How rude! See if I bring you any apples next time you ungrateful horse.: What was wrong with being enthusiastic? She just wanted to be his friend, jeez. What was the world coming to when kindness was considered loud? Besides, a quiet person was not going to be able to get a quite person out of their shell. They needed someone willing to firmly take their hand and lead them out into the world.

:It was just a suggestion: Godric responded. :Remember, he’s not just quiet, he’s lost in a new world. It might be good to gradually introduce him to it. Just something to think about.:

Summer guessed that she could see his point. :Alright, I’ll think about it.:

“Heyla Summer. We've been alright – not dry, but no one is with the rain. And yourself and Godric?”

If possible, the blonde’s smile widened. She’d actually received a question in return, how rare! “We’re doing fine thanks. He’s a bit grumpy from bein’ cooped inside and he’s not too pleased that I’m using this as a chance to practice fighting in less than ideal conditions, but other than that everything’s good. How are your—” Summer was just about to ask him how his classes were going and if he needed any help- she knew of quite a few study groups (many of which she was a member) that he could join- but was cut off by the arrival of a Mage trainee carrying a bunch of desserts that smelled fresh out of the oven and ooh so delicious.

“Here, I made this. Thanks for the other day,”

“Oh now that’s just tauntin’ a girl,” she whined, staring longingly at the pastries that were not meant to be hers.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

"Oh. Excuse me." Tavi put his fork down and held up his hands. He made air quotes as he said, "'Forgot'."

“Math. And composition. But the math's easy, and I'm always makin' up my homework anyway, so it's not like it's a big deal.”

Tavi sighed, wishing math was easy for him. It was just so dull. "I still have some law left," he admitted. After classes Tavi had taken to de-stressing in his room, sometimes napping for an hour or just sitting in the quiet with his door locked. It made a big difference in how he felt, but it was time away from the mountain of schoolwork the Collegiums gave out. "And I have to ornament that score for singing."

The pair ate, mostly ignoring (or trying to ignore) the loud girl and her laconic buddy. Tavi had gravy with small chunks of meat in it over mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, two biscuits, and his cup of milk. One of the biscuits was in his had, sopping up the extra gravy, when a new fresh-baked smell wafted over. Tavi didn't even lift his head. It was a sweet smell, and he didn't care for sweets. He thought chocolate tasted literally like crap, and hard candies made the inside of his mouth feel sticky and his tongue feel thick. Blecch.

So when he looked up next, he was startled and jumped a little in his seat. "Aiden."

He hadn't seen much of Tenbrook since becoming his second, and he'd hoped that meant he was still alive. That this was proof made him smile, that Aiden was holding a tray of sweets made him feel cautious. But he kept his expression neutral/good-to-see-you. A click in his mind made him suspicious that this plate of sweet-smelling something-or-others was a thank you.

Good gods.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Tavi wished he and Sid were closer. As children they hadn't had a secret language or made up words between them like a lot of twins did, nor any signs both of them understood without needing explanation. But right now Tavi wished he knew, really knew, Sid was not going to blurt out 'hey, are those for Tavi? 'Cause he hates desserts.' Or had some way to signal to stay silent. Sid was a good guy, polite and all, but he was so laid back sometimes dawning comprehensive tact took the backseat.

“Um I… I mean h-hi Tavi. This is… well I just wanted—”

Tavi raised his eyebrows, waiting for Aiden to finish without interrupting him. His fears were confirmed.

“Here, I made this. Thanks for the other day.” The Mage Trainee abruptly set the tray down and the clatter of it was loud in Tavi's ears. For a moment Tavi was confused; the other day? Had he beat up someone else who'd inadvertently been bugging Aiden? He doubted it. So this was for Thorphouse.

The insides of Tavi's nose were curling inward and he fought to keep his expression from showing distaste, which he just managed. He'd known from the first that Aiden's self confidence was mouse-like, meaning hard to find and easy to squash. And he didn't want to do that. But... if he ate these, Aiden might make him more someday if he did him other favors, and he'd have to lie about how good they were not to mention eat them. But if he said he didn't like sweets, especially here in front of everyone in the dining room, Aiden would be crushed. Maybe literally. It was a kind of choice life hadn't prepared him for well and he hoped his face wasn't showing his indecision. Before he could blurt out anything untoward, he grinned big up at the older boy.

"Thanks! Boy, these really look professional Aiden. Siddown?"

Don't say a word, not a single, tiny, miniscule word, Sidney, Tavi prayed. Out loud he added, "Uh. You're gonna help me eat these, right?"

[Isaak Orelsson]

Isaak almost winced as Summer’s smile widened, and Eira started to laugh at the back of his mind as she followed his train of thought: oh gods, now he’d really done it. He’d asked her a question back, and given how she was already inclined to talk, asking questions would only make it worse. Then again, it wasn’t that Isaak hated talking, exactly, but he didn’t like being expected to actually participate in conversation; he was alright with hanging back in the corner and listening, because then he could absorb what was going on without being an active participant. It was an oddly passive role given a large part of Holderkin masculinity was centred on being the active role, but hey – Eira wanted him to try new things, right?

“We’re doing fine thanks. He’s a bit grumpy from bein’ cooped inside and he’s not too pleased that I’m using this as a chance to practice fighting in less than ideal conditions, but other than that everything’s good. How are your—” Then again, maybe conversation with Summer didn’t require any active participation after all. Isaak wasn’t sure where she had been heading when she had been interrupted, and he wasn’t going to prompt her back on track, either. He glanced up when yet another trainee joined the table – a hesitant looking mage trainee, this time.

Isaak turned his attention back to his own food while he still had the chance, even though whatever the mage trainee was carrying smelled good. “Um I…I mean h-hi Tavi. This is…well I just wanted—” Internally, Isaak rolled his eyes, immediately dismissing the mage trainee until Eira cleared her throat and he realized what he was doing. Still, he couldn’t help but think that the other trainee needed to grow a spine, which he then realized was a ridiculous assumption to make given he’d heard the boy say, what, half a sentence? “Here, I made this. Thanks for the other day.” Beside him, Summer was staring longingly at the pastries, and Isaak mentally rolled his eyes again. And this was the reason that he avoided the dining hall, he thought at Eira without actually ‘saying’ as much.

***

"Oh. Excuse me. 'Forgot'. [...] I still have some law left. And I have to ornament that score for singing."

“Eugh,” Sid commented. His idea of ornamenting anything was – well, not the same as his instructor’s – and he couldn’t blame Tavi for putting it off. Granted, even if he hadn’t hated singing, composition, or any combination of the two he couldn’t have blamed Tavi for procrastinating, because even he had to admit that that would be hypocritical. “When’s that due? The singing.” The law he already knew about, since he’d already done it (...kind of), but his singing lessons were a little different from Tavi’s, given that he sucked at singing and Tavi didn’t.

He jumped almost at the same time as Tavi, though Sid’s jump was in reaction to Tavi’s jump. He glanced sideways and eyed Aiden, smelling the sweets with interest – unlike his twin, he had no aversion to sweet things, but he also was smart enough to realize that they definitely wouldn’t be for him. But if they were for Tavi... He almost said something, but fortunately he was distracted by the female Herald Trainee’s exuberance, and then Aiden managed to get an entire sentence out. However, he wasn’t expecting Tavi to be particularly diplomatic about accepting anything sweet, so he shot his twin a look of surprise when Tavi said, "Thanks! Boy, these really look professional Aiden. Siddown?"

“Uh-“ Sid started before he thought better of it. Instead, he changed the sentence into, lamely, “Heyla Aiden.”

"Uh. You're gonna help me eat these, right?"

Even if Aiden wouldn’t, Sid probably would (but he’d eat almost anything), and even if he wouldn’t have, the female Herald Trainee looked like she’d willingly have dug in. Even the male Herald trainee had glanced up, if only for a moment, and as far as Sid could tell he was doing his best to sink into the wall behind him.

[Summer Gael]

ooc: crappy post but what are ya gonna do *shrugs*

Poor guy, Summer thought as she dragged her longing gaze from the tempting pastries to the fidgeting gift bearer. The boy was wound up so tightly she could almost hear his muscles screaming for release. His gaze- what she could see through his curtain of hair at any rate- looked almost panicked as it darted back and forth from the table- she guessed the target would have been his shoes had the table not been in the way- to the twin she assumed was Tavi. Much like a curious puppy, Summer tilted her head to the side as she studied the boy. True, they did have a fair share of the eyes in the room on them what with the jumping twins, the tempting smell that no hungry teenager stomach could ignore and all that...still, the situation seemed to be causing him a great deal more stress than it should have. What in the blazes was making him tense so much?

-----------

The very fact that he was getting so worked up over something that probably wasn’t a big deal only made the young Mage that much more embarrassed. Although people were already starting to go back to their own meals, it still felt like all the eyes in the room were glued to their table, most specifically to him. How he dearly wished that he could return to the safety of the kitchen and leave this all behind him before he did something truly embarrassing. There really was no reason for him to stay anyway. He’d given Tavi the gift and said thanks, what else was there for him to do?

This is ridiculous, he thought as he forced himself to breathe, relax his shoulders, and stay where he was despite the temptations of the kitchen. How could he let so simple a thing work him into such a ball of nerves? It was…it was just a couple of pastries. Yes he’d worked hard on them. Yes it had taken what bravery he had just to bring them out, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t taste good. If they were bad he…he could always try something else.

Despite his thoughts, Aiden found himself watching Tavi closely for any sign to assure him that this was a good idea.

"Thanks! Boy, these really look professional Aiden. Siddown?"

Aiden released a great puff of air, practically melting with relief. True, the pasties hadn’t been put to the taste test yet, but at least Tavi seemed pleased with the gift. Blushing slightly, he reached back and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly both pleased by the compliment and unsure how to respond. It wasn’t often that he was praised. Well...okay Gero praised him a lot and so did some of his teachers but as his instructors it was sort of their job.

“Th-thanks. Uh sure I’ll…I’ll sit down.” He shakily pulled one of the remaining chairs back and sat gracelessly down in it. At first he was a little surprised- an alarmed (maybe the bard didn’t want them)- when Tavi asked him to have some of the scones, but a glance at the plate reminded him of how many he’d made. Teenage boy or not, Tavi was one boy and there were perhaps a few too many to finish on his own. Aiden hadnt noticed that at the time; he’d simply placed all of them on the same tray. Honestly, he wouldn’t mind having one as well if Tavi really didnt mind sharing. He had worked hard on them and wanted to try, the question was whether or not his stomach would unknot itself enough for him to eat without hurling.

“Uh-Heyla Aiden.”

To his horror, Aiden couldn’t recall the other twin’s name. They’d met only briefly before Aiden had fled the scene, what was it? When he couldn’t recall, the Mage decided to simply not mention it and avoid risking getting it wrong “Good evening. H-how are your studies?" He was having problems with them last time right, something about putting off homeword? "And uh yes I’ll have one…if you are sure it is okay Tavi.” He grabbed the nearest scone, noticing as he did that other eyes at the table were eyeing the treats with interest. “Um uh dig in if you’d like?” he offered to the others while glancing hesitantly at Tavi.

-------------

“If you are sure…” Summer said, her hand already moving to snatch two- one which she then handed to Isaak- even as she tried to be polite. Having a nasty sweet tooth was one of her more notorious vices and one she didnt often get to indulge in due to the unfortunate fact that most people knew better than to offer her sugar. “Thanks!” she exclaimed when the shy boy nodded hesitantly in response after glancing at the twin he’d given them to. She handled the pastry almost as thought it were a treasure.

:Summer! Those were not for you: Oh alright… “If you are sure it’s okay,” she repeated, this time to Tavi. “I mean, I understand if you want ‘em all. They look great! Bet they taste great too." The longing in her voice was obvious. "You been doin’ this long?” she asked the Mage who looked startled to be addressed.

“Y-yes, a few years. Gero has been teaching me…”

“Gero! Oh his food is fantastic. If you’ve been learning under him I’m sure these’ll be great!” Shifting her chair so that she could see all three strangers at once, Summer smiled. “By the way, I’m Summer and this—” She gestured to the other Herald trainee, more than certain that he probably wouldn’t volunteer up his own name. “Is Isaak. You all are?” Blue eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze zoned in on Tavi. “Hey, I think I’ve seen you at the salle.”

[Tavi Crebshaw]

“Eugh.”

"Eugh," Tavi agreed.

“When’s that due? The singing.”

"Day after tomorrow. And I can't be too creative or just dash somethin' off, 'cause then I haveta sing it." While Tavi didn't hate schoolwork, all his music classes were making his brain think in unaccustomed ways and it made him tired afterwards.

Tavi didn't pray often, but for once it seemed to work. The only thing Sid said was hello. It was like a miracle.

Thankfully another one occurred in tandem, and Aiden reddened with the most obvious pleased 'aw shucks' look Tavi had ever seen. The only thing missing was the sound of a toe being scuffed into the floor. Tavi kept his smile big to keep from wincing, since the smell of the little cake things was concentrating right in front of him and it was making his stomach turn. He had no idea what they were, but they were sort of yellowy with white stuff over them, and had what looked like blueberries studded all over. Blueberries Tavi could do, provided they were tart. The big fat ones that commanded sky high prices at market were the ones the rest of his family liked, the elusive perfectly sweet blueberries. Mama often said Tavi saved her money on fruit.

“Th-thanks. Uh sure I’ll… I’ll sit down.”

Then Aiden addressed Sid, and Tavi laughed. “Good evening. H-how are your studies? And uh yes I’ll have one… if you are sure it is okay Tavi. Um uh dig in if you’d like?”

"Of course," Tavi replied quickly. "There's enough there for a Council Meeting, Aiden."

“If you are sure it’s okay,” bouncy girl said, “I mean, I understand if you want ‘em all. They look great! Bet they taste great too."

"Yes, yes." Oh gods, please yes. But he was going to have to eat at least one. He knew it and hurriedly scooped up the rest of his meal. Not because he was eager, but because he wanted it to have a head start in case his stomach revolted later. But he smiled at Aiden. "I'm sure they're super."

And he was sure, for people who liked sweets. He pushed his plate away but kept his cup of milk, which he suddenly wished was fuller. Gingerly taking one of Aiden's treats up, he looked at it, wondering how he was going to eat it. There was no way he was going to stick the thing in his mouth. Tavi settled for tearing little pieces off and chewing quickly. And nope, the blueberries were the good ones. Aiden really had gone all out. Even the lemon was sweetened till it didn't taste like a lemon. And that white stuff? Turned out it was sugar. Tavi held the pieces in his fingers so that the glaze hit the top of his mouth and not his tongue.

They were light as air but firm on the outside, rather like a good biscuit, and the berries were large and plump. Tavi thought it tasted, as a whole, like tar. He pantomimed chewing, but swallowed his bites whole. The winces he couldn't help making he tried to disguise as using his tongue to scrape his teeth.

All this he did while the girl spoke. Turned out her name was Summer and her buddy's name was Isaak.

“Hey, I think I’ve seen you at the Salle.”

Swallowing his current mouthful and drowning it in milk, he wiped his lips with his sleeve and said, "Prolly. I'm there a lot."

Finally his brain thought of a way out. Setting the last remains of his cake thing down, he smiled earnestly at Aiden. "You know, dinner really filled me up. I wasn't prepared for your treat. Thank you, really, it was great of you. Do you think I could just pack a few up and sneak them in my room?"

Into Sid's room, actually, but hopefully once he talked to his twin, it would work out and Aiden would be none the wiser.