[G] [P] [EVENT] 738.12.15 | Basket Full of Cheer

It wasn’t a secret that C’dhin loved baking. He knew that some people even believed he didn’t do anything else with his time and was just known as the baking greenrider, but it didn’t bother him. It was what he wanted to be trained in and dedicate his life to before being Stolen and spirited away to Katila. Now he dedicated his life to Coroth and baking, and even had a nice set up in his weyr. It didn’t seem like such a bad trade off, though the early mornings for training or chores could wear a man down.

The hardest part about his baking hobby was finding people who weren’t biased when he came up with something new. He had fans of his delectable treats and sometimes he wondered if a new creation or a twist on a recipe went unnoticed simply because of loyalty or even an uncultured tongue. He picked his test subjects carefully, having learned early on who would just wolf down food without savouring the meal. How could someone do that? The cooks put a lot of time and effort into every meal and the least everyone else could do was take their time and enjoy it! It was something he was passionate about and on occasion he’d stop by after a meal to talk about the subtle spicing on the meat or even the way they had cut the cheese that day. Kind words went a long way, especially when so many people didn’t consider how they food got to their plate.

Still, C’dhin had some regulars he spoiled with goodie bags and a few other people he had thought about visiting with treats in hand. T’bia was one of those people on his mind. They were both friends with R’nd – though, honestly, who wasn’t? The man was annoyingly charming – and while they had only hung out briefly here and there because of the bluerider, C’dhin felt T’bia was a good guy. Well, he seemed skittish and easily moved to tears with the wrong word but C’dhin decided that was part of the younger man’s charm.

With a basket packed with an assortment of cookies, truffles, and brownies, C’dhin made his way out his weyr and to the direction of, well, he wasn’t sure. Coroth, where does T’bia and Jycenth live? Are they home? He chuckled at his inability to plan ahead and find out where the man he wanted to gift treats to even was. He waited a moment as Coroth likely chatted with the blue dragon and smiled when she gave the affirmative and directions without a snarky comment for once.

I’m saving them for later when you actually earn them. He still wondered how he ended up with a sassy dragon but ignored her as he made the march to T’bia’s home and then hesitated outside, hoping he wasn’t disturbing the bluerider.

“Hello? Are you in, T’bia?”

Bibi! You have a visitor! Jycenth’s sweet voice filled T’bia’s mind, rousing him from the lazy nap he was taking, the result of procrastination. He had been cleaning his Weyr, rearranging it and changing things up. Half way through, he’d gotten bored, and decided to have a nap. That had been a little while ago. T’bia was quite startled to realise it was evening, and he sat up with a yawn. Who? he asked, wondering how much effort he’d be required to put into his appearance before letting whoever it was in. C’dhin of green Coroth, his dragon responded, cheerful as ever. T’bia could hear him shifting around on his ledge, but since there was no sound of another dragon, T’bia rightfully assumed that C’dhin would be at his entrance. The questioning lilt of the greenrider’s voice had T’bia smiling.

“Coming!” he chirped, running one hand through his hair in an attempt to get rid of behead and the other brushing over his face. He needed to shave, but it wasn’t like the stubble was going to cause issues. A bright grin was on his face as he threw open the door, beaming at C’dhin. The expression grew when he spotted the basket on his arm. “Treats?” He asked, clasping both hands together before him as he bounced on his toes. T’bia enjoyed food as a rule, but he had learned to love food made by C’dhin. The first time he’d tried the greenrider’s sweet treats had been by accident, the bluerider swiping from the cooking tray, but they’d fixed up a relationship of sorts since that embarrassing moment.

“Come in!” T’bia invited, swinging one arm out to indicate that C’dhin was welcome into his weyr. “It’s a bit of a mess,” he warned, the weyr being quite messed up with items shoved all over the place though the floor was clean – a broom by the entrance way into Jycenth’s wing belied why. If someone from the lower weyrs happened to complain about it being a dusty breeze, well… T’bia had never been prone to sweeping dirt under the rug, when he could sweep it off the ledge! Benefits of an open weyr!

C’dhin laughed at the greeting, liking that T’bia zeroed in on the treats right away instead of pretending he didn’t notice and casually asked what brought him by and how he was doing. There was plenty of time for small talk and chatting about nothing and everything – it was something else he enjoyed so he wasn’t all about baking, he thought smugly to those that hadn’t taken a moment to get to know him – and easily accepted the invitation to enter the bluerider’s home. “You haven’t seen my kitchen,” he replied when T’bia warned his place was a mess but C’dhin didn’t see anything too out of place from the norm. It was obvious the younger man had been cleaning and C’dhin could respect that. Maybe he should have asked through their dragons if now was a good time to visit but shrugged at himself, thinking T’bia would have still invited him over.

“And yes, treats! I tried some new things and you were the first I thought of for trying them out,” he held the basket out to T’bia to take, letting the man know they were entirely for him and not just a small selection within. “Besides, if I accidentally poisoned you, I’m pretty sure I can out run you to safety,” C’dhin was joking and stuck his tongue out to further prove that he was. He wasn’t the most athletic rider around and maybe he could outrun T’bia but he doubted the bluerider would even blame him if he suddenly doubled over in pain from a cookie.

“Oh, if there’s something in there that you really like, I might even be tempted to teach you how to make it,” again C’dhin smiled, showing how much he liked the idea. Bakers were notorious for keeping their recipes to themselves but he had learned that while some were best left a secret, it wasn’t any fun to be the only one baking and sharing the joy with someone else was worth showing a recipe here and there. He honestly had no idea if T’bia even knew how to make a fire, going solely off the whispers of when the guy was a struggling weyrling, but C’dhin was patient and willing to teach the basics if he wanted to learn.

T’bia threw a wide, beaming smile over his shoulder as C’dhin confirmed that there were sweets in his basket, the young bluerider delighted by the announcement. T’bia hadn’t gone down for dinner yet, having slept through the usual time he would have meandered down, but as far as he was concerned, that just meant that his appetite hadn’t been spoiled for the sweets! Still grinning, T’bia took a seat at the small dining table that had three chairs around it, and then bounced up again. “Do you want something to drink?” he asked, bustling about. He collected a jug of fresh water and two glasses; T’bia wasn’t an alcohol drinker (he was quite capable of shoving his foot down his throat without any such assistance) and he hadn’t had any klah brought up for several days.

Returning to the table, T’bia filled the glasses with water and set one before C’dhin, then bounced back to his shelves to pick up a couple of plates, which were also relocated to the table top. “You will join me?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed together. He enjoyed eating fancy and special foods, but it was so much more enjoyable to eat them with friends, especially when those friends were the chef! It was much more fun to compliment as the thoughts arose and if the cook was right there, he would get them first hand and without thought – not like if T’bia had to go and find him later, and try to manage his thoughts and … well, T’bia just hoped C’dhin would stay!

“I’m not much good in the kitchen,” T’bia responded, scrunching his nose up as he looked at C’dhin sceptically. T’bia feared he wasn’t much good at much of anything, but at least not everywhere he could fail came with sharp knives and hot items! He could only imagine the havoc that could be created by his fumbling self in a kitchen. “Well, I don’t think I would be, anyway.” He admitted. “I’ve never been allowed in.”