Dust for Prints (Torrin)

[elyseosanne]

The kitchens of Camelot were empty, and Tesslin couldn't decide if she should be relieved or paranoid. Never one to just throw away a perfectly good reaction, Tess settled herself down right in the middle and worried so much water could have boiled. The brunette wore a dark dress, made of a material coarse enough to keep her warm in the chilly months, but the cloth made her skin itch lightly in the hot kitchens. Usually the kitchens were one of the busiest places in the castle, but all the food had been prepared for the night, and within a blink Tess found herself alone. She hummed, focusing on how the sound echoed off the walls. You wouldn't get her to sing, not in a millennia, but she did enjoy humming a few notes now and then. It kept her fingers from sleeping, and her focus from drifting too far out the kitchen's nonexistent windows.

There is flour spread out over the table. It floats in the air, stirred lightly by the gently rise and fall of her breath. She had always loved playing with flour. Like snow, but softer, finer, and warmer. In her father's bakery she used to draw him pictures in the flour. She frowned lightly, pausing as she worked some bread dough off her fingers. She didn't want to taint her fond memories of her father with the fresher stains of alcohol-induced madness. At least he didn't hit her mother. Tesslin didn't know what she would do if he ever did. Rolling the bad thoughts off her shoulders, Tess resumed her work, her hum fading into the background noise.

Tessa was a bit superstitious, and a bit gullible. She was a firm believer in wills transferring through food. She had always thought that her food was so good because she thought good things while she made it. It was the perfect excuse to practice locking up her problems, and pasting on a smile. She wasn't about to admit how crucial cooking was to her mental health, however. She stretched her fingers, kneading her knuckles lightly into the grand table of the Camelot kitchens. She was preparing some dough for tomorrow mornings loafs. These wouldn't got to the royals, though. Of course not. Tess would rather die than give her employee anything less than fresh out of the oven.

Maybe she was a bit dramatic, as well. It was hard to hold it against her.

She rubbed some flyaway wisps of hair out of her face with the back of her wrist. Dusty smudges of flour smeared across her pale forehead. A yawn split her jaw. She gently covered the dough with a slightly damp rag. It would keep it from drying out over night, and it would keep some of the flies away.

Her head snapped to the side, her hums cutting to an abrupt stop as she heard something. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard something. Or someone. She scolded her heart for racing in her chest. The wind was making her hear things; she was definitely over-reacting. Then again, she could have sworn... Shaking her head lightly, she slid the bread into one of the cupboards. Sparing a glance around the kitchen, she realized with a sigh that there was at least an hours worth of clean up. Should she skip it tonight and face the consequences, or come in tomorrow unrested and face the consequences of that?

[Torrin]

Torrin was hungry, something that wasn't that remarkable an occurrence but it was an irritating one. He had been on his feet all day, well, almost all day. The rest of it had been spent on his back because he'd yet to master the art of the backflip. Turns out there were only so many times he could fall onto his rather pathetic mattress - if it could be called that -before he needed to stop throwing himself about and get some food. It was with this in mind that he found himself strolling into the castle kitchens. Even if he had hurt his back he wasn't going to stop strolling. Surprisingly it was rather empty, or rather completely empty except one person. It seemed the other cooks and kitchen maids had finished their work and hadn't felt the need to stay around. This was rather good luck as not many people were nice enough to feed him.

As far as he was aware Tesslin hadn't spotted him yet, she appeared to be to absorbed in her humming. She wouldn't appreciate him lurking about so he decided to just announce his presence. "My darling Tess!" he grinned at her before quickly taking her hand and twirling her in a swift motion. "How are you this fine day?" He asked, half trapping her between the worktop and himself. She could have easily pushed him away if she wished to.

He was still grinning at her but he was promptly distracted by a rather interesting cloth-covered bowl. "I'm hungry - what's in here?" The cloth was lifted but the jester was only met with disappointment. "Well that's no good." Torrin said in a tone similar to that of a whining child. He moved her out of the way to jump up onto the worktop, looking down at her expectantly. "Don't you have any food?"

[elyseosanne]

She gasped, jumping when Torrin- of all people- announced his presence. One of the few things Tesslin actually knew about the jester was that the term "personal space" was not in his vocabulary. If she had it her way, the entire kitchens in Camelot would be her personal space. Then she could blissfully bake for the rest of her sorry existence, and not have to fend off hungry beggars. Especially if those hungry beggars happened to be Torrin. Which they did happen to be, more often than not.

She gave him a pointed look, removing her hand from his and stepping away in the scant space between them. "Hello, Torrin." She wanted to inform him that she was certainly not his darling, and he certainly wasn't going to get any bread out of her- that is, unless he wanted it raw.

She could have pushed him, she would realize later, but she never would. It wasn't her place. Tessa wasn't violent, or pushy. Far too meek, Tess reasoned that a push from her would probably do less than a baby's kick. That is, unless she really wanted to do some damage. But since when did Tess every want to do another human any damage? Exactly! She would leave the knights to do that. They had their job, and she had hers.

As it turned out, she didn't need to. His interest was caught by the dough on the table. She watched him, whipping her hands clean on the towel in her apron pocket. "I'm not going to make you anything," she commented, ringing her hands together. She could feel his grip, gentle on her shoulders as he moved her aside as easy as a summer breeze moves a blade of grass. Her jaw dropped lightly when he stood on the table before her."Please get down right now, Torrin! Get your feet off the table!" She whacked his ankle with the towel lightly, brushing some stray flour off the toe of his shoe as she did. "You child. We prepare food here, you know."

Alas, he did know. Why else would he be here?

[Torrin]

Hmm. She didn't seem that pleased to see him, and after he'd made such an effort to come and see her. Well that was just disappointing. Torrin was quite convinced that he was the highlight of her day. What was more disappointing was her refusal to make him any food. But he was hungry. "Oh come on, I'm wasting away." He pulled the hem of his shirt, stretching the material slightly to try to prove his point.

Well, he wasn't going to come down without any food, that was certain. It might be childish but then he was the court jester, it was part of what he did. Besides, this was probably the only way to get Tesslin to cooperate. Her obvious irritation at his actions only spurred him on and made his grin stretch all the wider. He was going to enjoy this. "I will come down on one condition," he began and held up his index finger because this was serious, or as serious as he ever got. "Feed me and I'll behave."

She hit his ankles with the cloth so he did a very small jump backwards, feet barely leaving the surface so he wouldn't fall. "Oi! You cannot go around assualting people!" His hands were on his hips and he was looking down at her with a look of indignation, but there was a look about him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth that betrayed his mock offence.

[elyseosanne]

A tired sigh brushes past her lips, but Tesslin allows her gaze to trace over his abdomen. He was anything but wasting away. However, he did seem rather skinny. Nobody wanted a super skinny jester to entertain them, either. Furrowing her slim brows lightly, Tess chewed on her bottom lip, thinking over her options in her head.

She could feed him, and then always have him coming around bothering her for some food. On the other hand she could refuse to feed him and she would never hear the end of it. Actually, she probably wouldn't hear the end of it in either situation, which left her between two choices with equal consequences. The King wouldn't miss a loaf of bread, anyway. She had a small loaf of her own stashed away with her shawl. She could simply share it with him, but she definitely wasn't going to make it that easy.

Her eyes widened lightly when he accused her of assault. She hadn't meant to assault him. Of all things- with a heavy sigh, Tess pressed her lips together lightly. An apologetic expression passed over her features, her pale cheeks slightly rosy with embarrassment. Despite his grin, Tess wasn't one to hurt others. What if he had fallen and cracked his head open on the floor? She shuttered inwardly at the thought.

With a long exhale, she looked up with him, mirroring his own stance. With her hands loosely on her hips, eyes wide, she looked completely serious with a taste of innocence. "I can't make you anything if you're standing on the table."

[Torrin]

As much as he enjoyed coming into the kitchen and seeing Tesslin - she was the only one who gave him food, after all - he did often find himself wondering just what would happen if she exerted herself a little more. She was a pretty enough girl and when she wasn't being polite and inoffensive she was rather fun. What she needed was someone to take her hair down. Torrin had long since been trying to be that someone but had not quite managed it yet. Still, he still had a confidence in his abilities.

"I can't make you anything if you're standing on the table."

Ah logic. The downfall of all entertainers. She was right of course. Food could hardly be made if he was still on the table, despite how much he was enjoying being this tall. With an easy shrug he jumped off the table. Unfortunately he'd underestimated the height and managed to hurt his feet and ankles. That was clever of him. He wasn't going to let Tesslin know that he'd managed to hurt himself though, so he just ignored the pain and hoped it would go away soon. He was used to jumping off things and hurting himself so it shouldn't take long.

"Happy now?" Torrin asked, eyebrows raised and gesturing to the now empty table. There were prints in the flour from his feet but other than that it was perfectly clean. "So," he began, letting the 'oh' sound continue for far longer than necessary as he now leant against the worktop, "What are you making for me?"

[elyseosanne]

She smiled lightly, as the regular series of events unfolded. She would be in the kitchen, alone of with few other people who didn't care. Torrin would dance in, spin together a couple flattering words together like a women would spin together wool. He would ask for food, exaggerate the sorry state of his being. He would simply be wasting away, so he says. She would protest lightly, swear how she wouldn't make me food. No matter what happened, she would always give in in the end. "Please, come down now," she responded, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

No matter how inoffensive she could be, Tesslin was often logical. Her father hated that most of all after he started drinking regularly. She had to crane her neck to look up at him, and was relieved when he finally jumped down. He was still taller than her by a Rubbing excess flour from her hands, she smoothed the front of her skirt and stepped aside lightly as he jumped back down to the floor. Oblivious to the pain in his ankles, she brushed his prints off the table.

"Happy now?"

"Quite," she responded, brushing past him to the pantry. She browsed the shelves quickly, taking count of what would and would not be missed. Plucking two apples, bruised, but still good, from the shelves, she returned back out into the kitchen. Putting the apples down, she got together a couple of other ingredients and dropped them on the table beside them. "You do like apple tarts, don't you?"

[Torrin]

Torrin had never been in any doubt about getting food. As much as she protested Tesslin always gave in eventually, it was why he always came to her. Other cooks just batted him away or simply didn't let him in the kitchen. But Tesslin was too sweet a girl for that and Torrin was rather grateful for it. Not only was she one of the only people that fed him but she was also a damn good cook and he always enjoyed her creations.

Now that he was back on the ground he was leaning against the worktop and watching her curiously as she inspected the pantry. Although there were only certain ingredients she could use - otherwise people would notice food was going missing - it didn't stop her from always making something superb and it was for that reason that Torrin was rather looking forward to whatever she would come up with.

Her question was probably a superfluous one as Torrin was sure she would make an apple tart whether he liked it or not, and if he didn't he would just have to be grateful that he was getting something, but he did appreciate the fact that she asked. Tesslin was always a polite and caring girl, unlike some of the other cooks. He nodded, a grin forming on his lips because really, this had been given to him, "Oh you know me. I like any tarts."

[elyseosanne]

There never was any doubt. Not when it came to food, anyway. Tesslin was good at food, and would rather be doubted in other areas than in that one. "Good," she responded, with a small smile. It didn't take long to prepare, and she kept glancing over at her company every now and then. A blush colored her cheeks, and she put the tart in the oven with an extra flourish.

Turning on her heel to face him, she cleaned her hands. "Oh, Torrin. Would you stop looking so eager? It's not like you never get fed." This isn't the frist time he's come to her, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. As earlier stated, the food was never in any doubt. "Besides, I highly doubt that you enjoy all tarts. Some tarts can be quite sour," she shrugged lightly, a bright smile lighting her features. "But then again, that's probably because they weren't made properly. It really is a shame. Tarts are so easy." A small hum of laughter passed her lips.

The only instance in which Tess could be slightly insulting was to other cooks. She didn't outright insult them; she just didn't understand why others had so much trouble in areas where she had such ease. As they waited, she sliced the remaining half of the apple, and split the wedges between the two of them. If she was going to dare to use something from the castle kitchens, she might as well use all of it. Maybe the girl did have some daring blood in her, no matter how dilute.

[Torrin]

Dutifully, Torrin shuffled away from her a few steps. It wouldn't do any good to annoy her when he was so close to the food he could practically taste it. He kept his eyes on her though, he always enjoyed watching her work. She was normally such a shy and unassuming girl, but for some reason when she was cooking her personality shone. "Is this better?" He asked rather petulantly. If this anyone else he'd simply refuse to move just to annoy them. But there was something about Tesslin that to him looked like she wouldn't think twice about attacking him with a rolling pin. Maybe he was wrong - he hoped he was wrong, but he wasn't prepared to take that risk.

He had to keep himself from laughing as she spoke about tarts. Clearly she didn't realise his double meaning which just made it even better. He coughed into his fist to hide his laughter and attempted to compose himself. It wouldn't have been so funny if she wasn't so unaware. "Yes, I've heard about the easiness of several tarts."

She gave a small laugh, but something told Torrin that she wasn't laughing at the same thing he was. He narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to work out what was quite so funny. After a moment he decided to find out the easiest way. "What's so funny?"

[elyseosanne]

Tessa grinned quietly, munching on an apple slice as they waited. The scent of cinnamon and butter slowly filled the kitchens. The warmth of it nearly made her mouth water. That must be her favorite part about being a cook: always smelling of butter, vanilla, and warmth. She glanced at Torrin, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you sick? Honey helps with coughs." If Tesslin had one quality that made her oblivious innocence endearing, it was her readiness to help other people.

"I suppose every chef has something they can't cook... to cook meat is one thing, but tarts are another thing entirely." She eyed the oven door, calculating the amount of time the pastries have been cooking. It probably felt like ages to Torrin, but she, ever the unintentional tease, wouldn't move to take them out for another two minutes. Tess wrinkled her nose lightly, dusting some stray flour from the ends of her hair. "I think I'll stick to baking."

She chewed lightly on the inside of her lip, green eyes crinkling with amusement. "Nothing's funny, really. I just-" A pause, "-like having you around." Tess grinned lightly, her cheeks flushing to a rosy pink. She shrugged, finally turning to the oven and removing the tarts. She placed them on the table, fanning away the steam. "Don't touch," she warned him. Getting burned would certainly ruin things. "Anyways, you're one of the only people in the castle who seems to enjoy my cooking," she confessed.

The move from her parent's small lower town bakery to the castle changed a lot of things for Tesslin. Sometimes her homesickness made her question her decision to move. At home she was confident of her abilities, but once she started her job in the castle she got nothing but orders and insults. Deep down, she knew that it was because she was currently at the bottom of the ladder, but it still pained her to think she left her family for little to nothing. There were positive sides to working the castle however. Her family got extra income. The money she received for working was enough to support her mother, and cousins even when the market wasn't doing so well. That thought alone soothed her worries. "So," she continued, "it's good to have you around."

[Torrin]

Torrin shook his head, still trying not to laugh. Tesslin's innocence about the whole thing just made it all the more amusing - and the fact that she thought his cough was genuine. She really was a naive girl, but that made her all the more endearing. Torrin sometimes worried about her though, while he would never taken advantage of her, there were plenty of those who would. Tesslin couldn't hurt a fly - unless they insulted her cooking - and the world could be a dangerous place. He tried to push such depressing thoughts out of his mind, instead looking forward to finally getting some food. "I'm fine," he replied, having conquered his laughter, "but thank you anyway." Honey was not something he particularly liked anyway, but if he did he would be sure to suffer from coughs on a more regular basis.

It wasn't just the food that drew him to the kitchens - despite how delicious it always was - he genuinely enjoyed the girl's company and especially enjoyed watching her cooking. It seemed to be like an art for her, in the same way entertaining was an art for him. They were both providers, spending their days making other people happy through food and laughter. Perhaps that was why he'd always enjoyed Tesslin's company. "I'll have you know, I've never tasted anything of yours and not found it delicious." He said with a smile, it was true enough and he'd often thought she needed more confidence. She was a damn good cook and besides, compliments would keep him on her good side, and that meant more free food.

Torrin narrowed his eyes at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. Was that embarrassment he could detect? The blush spreading across her cheeks certainly looked like embarrassment. The smirk was growing. "Oh do you now?" He shuffled a tad closer to her, "Maybe I should come and visit you more often..." The suggest was left open for her and he rather hoped she'd take him up on it, especially if it meant more food. He was quickly distracted though as the tarts were finally cooked and placed on the surface to cool. He was about to reach out but Tesslin had already told him not to touch them. Well that was no fun. How could he enjoy them without touching them? "Spoilsport." He muttered with a slight pout.

He didn't believe her next words for a second. How could anyone not appreciate her cooking? They were clearly just jealous of her talents - talents only made better by her character. "You shouldn't put yourself down so much, Tess." Torrin said seriously, it was a long held opinion of his. "Although I suppose that's not such a terrible thing if it means I have no one trying to eat your food first." He added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood once more.

It was good to have him around? Well. That was unexpected. Not many people were quite so sincere, or at least not sincere and nice. Most of the time people were sincerely telling him to bugger off. That was the only trouble with being as charming and entertaining as Torrin was - it was all just an act, but not in front of Tesslin though. She would probably be able to see right through him so he ended up just being Torrin Fletch. He was slightly taken aback by this. "Well...it's quite nice to be around."

[elyseosanne]

"I'm glad." As a rule, Tesslin had a policy that absolutely no sick people were allowed in the kitchen. Ever. What was the use of a perfectly good chef if he- or she- allowed somebody to get everyone else sick? If the sickness spread enough to get to the kitchen, healers might as well hang up their towels right then. The kitchen was the center of the world, as far as Tesslin was concerned. People loved food and people would always love food. Was there ever a kitchen as grand as this one? Camelot Castle may house a lot of unsavory things, but whomever had built the ancient building should get an award for their spectacular job. It still felt surreal to be cooking in the actual kitchen in the actual Camelot Castle! She could hardly believe Prince Arthur visited her bakery all those months ago. Where would she be if he hadn't? Certainly not in the grandest kitchen in the world. "Because then you know I'd have to kick you out," she frowned lightly, tilting her head to the side. "And what a shame that would be, when the tarts had just come out too!" she continued.

Her green eyes crinkled at the corners with mirth before widening with mock seriousness. "I just couldn't let you eat it, then! You'd have gotten all your germs on it, and then I shall be sick as well." She swept the tarts onto a clean towel, wrapping them lightly and holding them slightly away from her guest. "Maybe I should just rid of them before anything bad happens. You could lose your position because your throat is all torn up. Could you imagine? You couldn't even visit and you'd be as sorry as a common barn dog. No, no. We just went over how I do enjoy your company. Best to just rid of it while we can." She strode across the large room, rounding the table on her way to the trash when his next sentence made her turn on her heel.

With one hand on her hip, tarts held in the other, Tesslin couldn't decide if she should be glad or offended. She settled for a grin, raising a brow in the entertainer's direction. "Torrin, you scandalize me by inadvertently assuming that something I could give you would be anything less than the best. Tut tut. I wouldn't allow that. To give a guest something subpar? Really, you should know better." But his compliment did make her heart soar, with a funny glow she wasn't used to. There was a time when happiness hadn't been so sparing. There had been a time when Tessa's lungs didn't ache with it, but grew in its light. That was a long time ago, and it tickled up memories of a child that the brunette used to know.

She pressed her lips together lightly. Her eyebrows crinkled over her forehead, and Tesslin could taste some spare flour caught on her lip. The tarts had significantly cooled, and were now just warm enough to the touch. She unwrapped them, brushing stray crumbs from the cloth. Spreading her fingers wide- it would be such a terrible thing to drop them at this point- she steadied her hands, peering up out of the grate on the ceiling to look at the sky. Dark clouds had rolled in, blocking the stars from the ever darkening sky. Tesslin didn't have to go far to give him his share. He had been stuck to the pastries like glue the moment they had come out of the oven. Relenting, Tesslin handed it over, extending the food as part of her welcome. "You certainly do have a way with words, Torrin."

Torrin's world may be in the Great Hall in front of everybody; Tesslin's would always be behind the curtain. It was nice to have a taste of another world every now and again. Torrin brought it with his visits, like spices from other kingdoms. She smiled, happily taking a bite of her own after she was positive he was eating it. The food had never been in any doubt, after all.

[Torrin]

Torrin watched with both confusion and concern as Tesslin took the tarts away from him and seemed to be...heading...towards the...rubbish... Why would she do that? Didn't she realise just how long he'd gone without food? It had been at least two hours, which for Torrin was mightily impressive. Surely she was just teasing him because anything else would just be absurd. He could smell the tarts from where he stood, eyes fixed on them, mouth slightly open. It was simply incomprehensible that she would just get rid of them. "I was only coughing!" There was a sense of panic in his voice, which, if he wasn't too busy being concerned about the tarts, he would have been embarrassed about. If she took another step towards the rubbish he was ready to make a leap for them. There was no way they were going to end up anywhere but in his stomach.

"You're never less than the best!" Torrin was edging towards her, trying to work out if he could grab the tarts from her before she did anything stupid. He was rather close to her now, and his eyes were still fixed on the food, determined that he would save all the tarts from their fate. Maybe if he complimented her more she'd give them back...that could work, after all, he was used to using words to get what he wanted. "I do know you better - I know you to be the finest cook in all of Camelot!"

There was a sigh of relief as she set the tarts down. It seemed his plan had worked, not that there was really any doubt about that...or that he was genuinely concerned. That would just be silly. He wasn't going to look away though, just in case this was her trying to lull him into a false sense of security, making him believe the tarts were safe only to take them away again. But she didn't, and he finally had one in his hand, still slightly warm from the oven and looking every bit as delicious as he'd expected. It almost seemed like a shame to eat it, almost, but he hadn't nearly thrown himself at the girl to protect the tarts just so he could look at them. He sunk his teeth into the pastry with relish, surprised to find it better than expected. "And you have a way with food." He replied, mouth full of tart and crumbs stuck to his lips. It was definitely worth the wait, but then everything Tesslin made was worth the wait, and worth the time it took to persuade her to make it in the first place, but then as she so correctly pointed out, he had a way with words.

[elyseosanne]

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" It was a comfort to know some things never changed. There was something universal about the way people enjoyed food. Even though Tessa's old home was just across the city, it felt ages away. She smiled, eating her own portion much slower than her company. It seemed as if Torrin inhaled the thing. Just like a child, she thought, shaking her head with a grin. It was good that somebody took joy out of the simpler things. Being surrounded by so many riches and royalty threw the poor girl for a loop. She was seeing, but still working on believing.

It wasn't long until she finished hers as well. The first bite reminded her how hungry she actually was. Her stomach protested, but Tesslin forced herself not to eat like she hadn't seen a crumb in three days. When it was gone, she wished there was more. She always did, but supplies seemed to run out faster than they could be replenished. Even the water- something that Tesslin had always thought was unlimited- had dried up for a few days. From the outside, Camelot looked magical. From the inside, Tesslin now knew, it was even more so.

"How was the feast last night?" she asked, curiosity floating on her words. Tesslin was often behind the scenes, just where she liked to be, but she couldn't deny that there was a certain quality to being in the light. When she first started working in the castle, she ahd believed that every night was a feast. What, with the amount of food the kitchens made every day it was a huge surprise to the girl when the first actual feast came around. She didn't know what to do with herself. The worst part was that she was talked into serving as well. She was so nervous she thought she was going to faint. Thank the gods she didn't. Even that night, alone in her bedroom- Tesslin was still shaking. She had never been to anything so big in her life. It was a shock to her system, and the brunette still hasn't really come to terms with the sheer volume of everything. Why did the castle have so much when hundreds of people struggled to get a decent slice of bread on the table every night?

Over the months, she's heard loud compliments on the food, reaching the kitchens with loud laughter. It was hard to suppress a smile. She couldn't hear exactly what Torrin was saying, but she could always tell when he was performing because of the noise. It would rise and fall like waves lapping at the edge of a lake. Tesslin had never seen a lake, but she's heard plenty of stories about them. "It was especially loud. Is that a good thing?"

[Torrin]

Apologies! Only just seen this reply.

Torrin wasn’t actually sure whether his mother had taught him such a thing or not, she may well have done and he simply ignored her. He was a simple jester, he didn’t need to stand on ceremony, especially not when he was eating such delicious food as this. He just swallowed and grinned at her. This was not the first time Tesslin had chastised him for such a thing. It seemed to be one of her favourite things to do when he was around, then again, he supposed she was one of the few people who managed to keep him in check.

"No," he replied, mouth no longer full of food, "But I see you're making up for that." He teased, giving her a quick wink. He had absolutely no idea how she'd managed it, but she managed to make him behave himself, or at least as much as he was ever going to.

Torrin raised his eyebrows at her question, slightly surprised by the abruptness of her question. He gave a small shrug, feasts all blended into one really. The same people, or at least the same type of people. The only thing that he noticed changing were his jokes - and even some of them ran on a cycle. He had a feeling though that a simple shrug would not be an acceptable answer. Tesslin was, more often that not, stuck in the kitchens when a feast was happening.

It must be strange, he thought, when there was a feast happening and not seeing any of it. Knowing that there was all that activity, all that commotion going on upstairs and being shut away from it all. He couldn't help but smile at her words - she really was a sweet girl, it was rather endearing. "Well, they weren't shouting me off. It was as all feasts are I suppose. Full of drunk nobles and worn out servants."

[elyseosanne]

Tesslin rolled her eyes, but grinned right along. "Well, somebody's got to," she stated, wiping her palms down the skirt of her dress. It was a bit more threadbare than she would like, especially since it was just the beginning of the season. In all honesty, Tessa didn't mean to be bossy. She didn't mean to nag. It just happened like that- it was a form of concern. She's seen what people get like when they don't take care of themselves, so she was just simply reminding them. She would admit, albiet reluctantly, that she was somewhat of a mother hen, especially when she was in the kitchen. She liked feeding people.

Tesslin cleaned, clearing the table of materials she had used, and sweeping up the extra flour off the table. The brunette liked things to be in order. She liked things to be done. She liked her bread completely cooked. Burning food she could deal with, but there was simply no excuse for undercooked food. Which was exactly why she was hardly satisfied with his answer. A shrug? Surely he had something to say about it. Maybe it was different. There were quite a lot of feasts, they all must blend together somewhat. Tesslin's only been to one, and it spooked her out of her socks. It was so loud and chaotic. There was a degree of fun to it though, and she was smiling despite herself.

The shyness was a real problem. She's never really been in a situation surrounded by dozens of people who were actually friendly- as friendly as they could be. It certainly wasn't violent, maybe rowdy, but not violent. "I suppose it's good they didn't run you out of the castle. I don't know what you would do if I wasn't around to feed you," she teased, putting the lid on the flour jar and placing it neatly on the table. The kitchen... was actually clean, for once. She had been working on it for a while before Torrin showed up, but she didn't realize how close to finished she actually was.

She rubbed a stain of flour from near her collar, and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. A smile spread over her cheeks, partly because she was finally finished with her chores. However, it was more likely because she was beginning to understand feasts after all, "Well, drunkenness and worn out servants I can understand."

_{Note: Don't worry about it. ^^}

[Torrin]

Torrin was entirely convinced her words were true, but he wasn't going to argue with her, she might do something really mean like deny him food. He just shrugged in agreement - it was easier that way. Tesslin did like to boss him around, but then, by her own words, somebody had to. There were very few people in the world who could actually boss Torrin around, and she was definitely one of them. She might look like a mouse to the world, but Torrin knew her as a lion, a lion who was tremendously good in the kitchen.

Tesslin might not know what would happen if she wasn't around to feed him, but he certainly did. He would starve, it was that simple. Jesters weren't paid all that well, and the money that he did make always disappeared, quickly replaced by ale and clothes. Food, especially hers, was something Torrin took for granted. He just assumed he'd be able to swing by the kitchens, like now, and find himself fed. If this was to stop happening, and he actually had to fend for himself, well, it wouldn't end well. "I would suffer endlessly," he replied with a grin, "Or at least I would until I starved."

He couldn't help but smile as Tesslin did, she did look rather proud of herself. Well she should be, those tarts were delicious. There were very few people who possessed her talents, Torrin should know, he ate enough food. Her words were met with a raised eyebrow. "Drunkeness you understand, ey?" He folded his arms against his chest, "And when was the last time you were drunk?"