Caleb's Back Home
RW Abbey: Kitchen
This is a long, narrow room with five large fireplaces set into one wall, and two equally large wood burning iron stoves set against the opposite wall. Several small, rectangular tables rest in here, but there are no chairs available. The rest of the wallspace is taken up by an entire array of shelves, cupboards, and counters which hold the day-to-day cooking supplies and utensils. The kitchen is clean and well maintained, and more recent efforts have been made toward organization of the cooking ware.
On the wall just right of the door leading into Great Hall is a neatly penned chart, which lists the names of beasts assigned to cooking duty as well as the dates and times they are scheduled. A small note above the chart urges residents to volunteer for at least a slot or two a week.
The curtains around the windows have been drawn against the night. The room is dark and the ovens are cold.
Exits/Entrances:
[G]reat [H]all [Wine] Cellar [Sc]ullery
[C]avern [H]ole [Pan]try [La]rder
[Ki]tchen [P]ath
Caleb is back and is sitting in a chair by the doorway looking at the floor, in fact he has stared at the floor most of the time he was sent in here. He has been missing a week and is now back, he seems ok for the most part and has taken a bath since been back, he does have some cuts on one knee but is ok otherwise..well no wounds anyways.
"I want that menu to be ready for me this evening, Jerome..." Lacota's voice cuts through the quiet. "I want that Feast to be perfect..." The squirrel walks in through the door, seemingly ignoring Caleb for the moment. "Heaven's, It must be perfect, in every way..." He pauses, apparently spotting the mouse. "There you are..."
Caleb frowns as Lacota comes close, but he stays quiet when he is usually excited to be in here. He looks up and watches Lacota quietly from where he sits in the chair.
Lacota rests his paws on his hips. "Well, young mouse... You don't look dead to me. Naturally, I assumed you must have gone on to the Dark Forest, as long as you've been absent."
Caleb finally speaks "No..s..sir I was...just outside the abbey, I followed Cynthia when she left and I didn’t plan on staying out that long and..and things just happen and I was not sure on coming back when I was..was able to either. I don't even know where Cynthia is or what happen to the rat that had us captive a couple days. I got away cause I used his sleeping herbs against him...in his food and he fell asleep and I ran and that was..ummm couple days ago?"
Lacota frowns. "I see. You both had us all worried sick, Lad. And Cynthia... She's my responsibility, you know..."
Caleb frowns "I..I don't know where she is sir..she wasn’t with me when the storm hit or when Mr. Zee was out and he can't look for her...he's sick and its probably my fault too"
Lacota sighs, his shoulders falling. "It's not your fault, lad... Just... I'm glad you're back, and safe. I care about you, Caleb."
Caleb frowns looks unsure "You..do? I don't think anyone else does..Brother Boaz is mad..I...I got Abbot Benar mad and Papa Oz is probably gonna lecture me next...I..." Tears come down his face now, he seems not so glad he is home after all. "Maybe I shouldn’t of come back..."
Lacota raises a finger. "Make no mistake, I'm angry, too... but only because you worried me severely, Caleb. I am very glad you've returned, though. It's *much* better than the alternative..."
Caleb nods slowly, "I..I know I could of died. I didn’t mean to follow Cynthia. I even tried to talk to her and we got in a fight and I hated her but now I am worried about her...she even tried to protect me from the rat when he wanted to stab me....he wanted me to be a thief and I said no, but she said if he didn’t stab me she..she tach me how to steal and he left me..alone"
Lacota sighs heavily again, nodding his head. "We'll find her, don't worry..." He rests a paw on Caleb's shoulder. "It's okay to cry, my boy. And you can talk to me, anytime, alright?"
Caleb frowns, "W..was it bad to..drug the rats food like that...it just made him sleep deeper so I could get away, I got lost though in the woods"
"It was perfectly alright, Caleb," Lacota confirms. "Let me tell you something, something I've not told many beasts... Are you willing to listen?"
Caleb nods as he wipes away tears, "And..I won't even tell any beast either." He coughs a little as being upset has caused some flim in his throat, also he may of gotten a small cold from the weather.
Lacota nods, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And I believe you." He offers a small smile. "When I was your age... younger, even... I was a slave. Far to the North." As he talks, the squirrel fills a kettle with water, and sets it on the stove. "Tea?"
Caleb frowns "I would...never want to be a slave, I think that ray Kyran is one though" He nods to the offer of tea. "Tea is...would be nice"
Lacota nods again, steeping some green tea. "Indeed, my boy. I was a slave for many seasons. But..." He looks over at Caleb. "I grew weary of it. There was another slave there... He'd been a healer, before he was captured by slavers..."
Caleb nods as he listens, "I guess the other slave ...had to help the slaver a lot when he was hurt"
"You're right." Lacota retrieves a mug. "He taught me everything I know about herbs... And in particular, poisonous plants." He watches the mouse a few moments. "I poisoned the slaver, Caleb. I poisoned him, and we escaped."
Caleb listens, he is quiet..."I...guess it’s..sort of a useful skill, you probably know antidotes too. My dad knows about poisons but I don't think he ever used them..."
Lacota nods, handing a mug of tea to Caleb. "That I do. And I likewise never intend to use poisons again in any way... That is very important."
Caleb nods as he takes the tea, "I..won't ever use poisons either...or probably sleeping herbs again" He sips the tea a little and is quiet “I am..sorry to have worried every one and I do hope they find Cynthia and she will be able to stay here"
Lacota smiles. "I know, lad, I know... And I will find some way to punish you... But not now. Not yet. I'm glad you are back..." He clears his throat. "I... think of you like a son, Caleb. Always remember that."
Caleb nods, he finishes his tea and then then smiles weakly "I should...get to bed..goodnight sir" Yeah to bed after a lecture from his grandma, he is sure she has been waiting since he got back.....and so he heads off to bed, and tomorrow face whatever is in store for him chore wise or whatever wise.
