[PRP] Not The Best Role-model [Jacquol/Soui]

[ShinosBee]

Weyr life...was boring. Like, okay, so fighting thread and dragons and flights? That was all great. The rest though? Routines and chores and lessons and rules? That was all stuff Jacquol had put her back to the day she'd left her home hold to chase after Jacomus's path to the sea, and the following life of sub-lawful behavior. Compared to that wild and free way of living, Western Weyr seemed...awful. Ambrin, gorgeous man, made things much better, but she sadly couldn't spend every moment with him. She needed her own dragon, something that'd make her fit to fly by his side (and she wanted one to boot!) and to give her the ultimate freedom.

For now that meant forcing herself into the Weyr's assigned role. She attended her lessons (and if pressed might be forced to admit that she'd learned more than a little bit), she did her chores, she obeyed...mostly.

Boredom could only be put off so long before it exploded into action. Less-than-noble action. She'd traded some poor naive candidate boy a kiss in exchange for doing the entire chore they'd been assigned, and now she was skulking around out of sight in the kitchens. Lunch was well on the way to cooking, and it was going to be delicious. She for one knew personally—she'd snuck sips and tastes and bites of nearly every dish so far, and then gone back for seconds on one or two, leaving her with several hot and barely cooked meatrolls stuffed into a belt bag.

houllow

 

[houllow]

"I'll just leave these here then." Soui gave a small wave to one of the kitchen workers as she set down several bags, her hands smarting from having carried them this far. It wasn't exactly in her job description to help others, but if she was asked to do something she never could find it within herself to refuse. The drudge thanked the teen for her help and sent her on her way, which left her wandering a bit around the fringes of the kitchen. Honestly she'd never come around this area often enough to know what was what, and the new sights were fun to take in. Atop her head, Remedy chirped his approval at all the sounds and smells, his happiness almost contagious. What was contagious though was the growl of his stomach, which hit Soui's gut like a punch.

It didn't help that they were cooking lunch and preparing to feed everyone, filling the entire area with a scent that positively made a person drool. Soui thought she felt Remedy drooling into her hair, or maybe that was just her mind trying to take away from the drool that formed at the corner of her own lips. "We need to leave before we cause problems." Her words were meant mostly for herself, though her flitter understood and gave a weak chirp of acceptance. He was starving, there was food right there and - "!!! Hey!"

Without warning the tiny bronze launched himself from his perch and soared off in the direction of some shadows, prompting Soui to run after him. The idea of getting in trouble because she hadn't properly trained Remedy filled her with a cold fear and she picked up her pace to catch him. There was no need to run fast or far, however, as she rounded a bit to find her lizard hissing in front of a person. His eyes were not red despite the noise, but his stomach was certainly angry. "I'm so sorry, are you okay? Remedy, come here."

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Shards and shells, here came the watch-flitter! Jacquol had nearly made the door out when the bronze thing had come screeching at her like an alarm system, flapping about and hissing and doing his very best to pen her into a corner. She was totally prepared to play dumb, but the expected charge of angry kitchen-folk never came. Instead, a...child? She peered past the angry fire lizard at the girl, and she did look vaguely familiar...Maybe she'd seen her in passing? Looked too young and too unfamiliar to be a candidate, but that was fine. Some weyrbrat was much better to be caught out by than a certain chef with his swinging wooden spoon.

With a cheeky grin Jacquol went from crouched and set to run to standing casually, hands on her hips as she stared down at girl and pet. "Quite alright, and no harm done! Rather you keep him a bit quieter though, if y'don't mind. Can't say I'm keen to get m'cargo grabbed..." She reached a hand into her pouch and pulled out a plump, still-steaming meatroll, letting the smell waft towards the firelizard. "Stolen fair and square, after all, and to the victor goes the spoils!" With gusto she tore into it, biting it open and savoring the taste of meat, cheese, fresh pastry, and every drop of savory drippings.

And if she made a bit more of a show of how good it was, and then plucked a second roll from her pouch to rip it in half, eyeing the lizard...well. It was all in good fun, right?

houllow

 

[houllow]

Remedy, for his credit, was very easily bribed through food. It was the entire reason he'd swooped on the girl to begin with, and when she ripped the second roll in half he lurched towards her with the intent to swipe it away. He managed to grab a tiny bit of it due to not wanting to accidentally strike the human - something he knew would greatly upset his Love. With blue eyes that whirled as he flew to the little girls shoulder, Remedy feasted on his ill-gotten section of clearly ill-gotten gains. Soui was not pleased, and when the little bronze landed atop her head he was given a stern pap on the head by a fingertip.

"I'm sorry for Remedy jumping on you like that if you weren't attempting to offer anything to him. We're still in training." The teen wasn't quite sure what the rules were in the Weyr about taking food and so she wasn't going to place judgement on a stranger. It wasn't her place even if she could turn on her heels and tattle, since doing so wouldn't end well for the person before her and likely for herself. "He didn't get you at all, did he?" Soui didn't have any salves or bandages on her person, though she'd gladly tear a bit of her sleeve to make a wrap if it was needed.

The bronze firelizard gave a faint burp from his spot, clearly content with whatever had been shoved into his stomach like the miniature trash heap he was proving to be. "....did you really steal those, though? Why?" Lunch wasn't that far away in time, and Soui never understood the appeal of taking something that didn't belong to you.

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Jacquol would've gladly given the little bronze the entire half of the roll if he'd been bold enough to grab it. As it was he seemed content with his crumb...though she continued to only loosely hold the rest, in a cupped palm. Just in case. She knew very well how convenient it could be to have a number of people's firelizards as your friends. Even if they did end up as greedy little beggars at your door. When the alarm was raised, you could often count on them to become distracted because they knew you'd give them food, not to mention you could learn just what they liked and more easily bribe them thus.

"Not at all! He's a darling little biter, and not a scratch on me. He's just followin' the demands of his stomach, I'm not bothered. Had thought he was one of the kitchen folks' pets, and that'd be well more a hassle." She gobbled at her half of the stolen snack with aplomb, sucking the grease from her fingers and all. "Good of you to teach'm to mind you though. A good loyal friend's a treasure. And he certainly glitters like one!"

She nodded blithely at the question of theft, before tossing the remaining half a roll to the girl. For her, or her lizard, either way. "Sure! Though given we'd have it for free come lunch anyway, less like stealing, and more like...preemptively indulging." She winked, a mischievous twinkle lighting up her eyes. "Mostly it's just for the fun. To stay on my game about it. Helps to make sure you know how to move quiet, how to have a light touch and steady, sure hands. And that you're fast, if it comes to a run!" She paused, glancing around to be sure none of the kitchen staff were drawing any nearer. "After all, if I eat these now, then I'll eat less at lunch, so it all balances out, aye?"

houllow

 

[houllow]

Soui felt her brow knit at the logic presented to her by this thief, but she wasn't about to say anything rude or cruel in response. Yes eating now meant eating less later, but why not just wait that little bit of time and eat when you're supposed to? The whole idea of getting snacks because you were hungry wasn't such a bad thing, but ruining your lunch with your lunch was....weird. The tossing of the roll was met with a verbal cry of surprise and Soui all but dropped the object before Remedy snatched it and darted Between. He planned to eat it far away from her, it seemed, to prevent another tap to the snout.

There would be words later, for certain.

"Why would you need to stay on your game for stealing? Does the Weyr not make sure everyone has enough, or is there some sort of way of living here I'm unfamiliar with?" Again her questions were honest and sincere, no trace of sarcasm in her tone. The idea of people stealing in a Weyr that freely gave was bonkers, and someone who actively prided themselves on being a skilled thief was almost mindblowing. Perhaps her sense of right and wrong was a bit too strong, or maybe even a bit skewed from Turns at the Hall. "Or....do you just do it because you like it? Is stealing even a skill that's important to have for something?"

Soui knew she was asking entirely too much questions but she really wanted to know. Being ignorant about something and jumping to fast judgement could lead to problems later on, not to mention assuming things about anyone was the worst thing to do. Besides, if this person really was a good thief and such skills were needed at Western, perhaps she'd found a teacher?

"So...sorry for all the questions." At least she was willing to admit she was babbling, even if she wasn't sorry in the manner that would make her stop. "I've just never encountered someone like you before. Ever."

ShinosBee

 

[ShinosBee]

Jacquol's grin curled a bit higher as the firelizard took his prize and flicked away between. Smart lizard, that one, to duck and run when he'd gotten his piece! A little thing after her own heart. The girl, though...well. Her focus re-fixed, and she gave a ponderous thought to all those questions. The little thing really was a curious one. That she'd not just run to tell someone in charge still had her in Jackie's favor, though it was fairly clear that they were cut from vastly different cloth.

"Well, sometimes, if you're not living in a Weyr....or a Hold or a Hall, of course, you have a harder time getting enough of things like food. And then it's important to be able to get what you need to take care of yourself and the people you care about. Like me! I've got a lot of siblings, right? And sometimes the only thing that kept us from going hungry was sneakin'. But, of course, you've got to know how much to take and what to do so that you don't hurt the people you're takin' it from." It was certainly not the truth, but she expressed it as if it were. The girl paused to peek about the kitchen, still wary of being found by anyone else.

"And besides. Times like this, where it's just having lunch a bit really, really, it's more like a game than anything. See how quiet you can be, how many people you can get past without being noticed." That clever smile again. "You should try it some time. The sneaking, if not the taking. Little thing like you'd probably be able to sneak all sorts of places!"

houllow