Beyond the Bakery (1x1)

[Helene]

I'm just going to start this puppy up and see where it leads! It's a 1x1, and I prefer a male character to join, but I'm open to whoever is interested! This is my first post, ever, so we can create it together! Here we goooo!


Character Name: Louisa (Lou for short)


Age: Young adult


Hair: Long, thick auburn waves


Eyes: Emerald


Skin: Pale ivory


Physique: Small framed, aprox. 5'3"





WHACK!


The flour sack slammed against the old, wooden table as Louisa huffed out a sigh of exhaustion. It was well past the closing time of the small bakery, but she had been short-staffed for weeks now, ever since the disappearance of her older sister, Lounella, and didn't have the means to hire extra-help. Many suns had come and gone since she'd had the opportunity to revel in their rays and enjoy the peace she had found on the outskirts of the busy little village. In fact, it was as if the sun hadn't actually come out at all, as if it had somehow disappeared for days on end and no one but her seemed to have taken notice. She knew the villagers sympathized with her, everyone loved Lounella. She was all that Louisa wanted to be: tall, blonde, vivacious… a truly free and lustrous creature. Louisa, on the other hand, was small and reserved, almost hidden in her sister’s shadow, always upstaged by the exuberant beauty Lounella seemed to radiate.


She brushed an auburn lock from her dough-stained face with her forearm, looking down at the sack. It was the fourth one she had lugged from the storage space into the kitchen. It was time to prep the dough for the morning rush of villagers who flocked to the small shop before heading into the larger city. This was a tedious task, one that her sister used to complete every morning. Where the hell did that woman go?! Louisa slammed her fists into the sack, causing an explosion of flour to burst into her face and consume her hair and apron. She was shaking, part with anger, part with fatigue. She had loved her sister, but there was always an inkling of envy there, that was nurtured greatly by their mother. Lounella was a spitting image of her, and as charismatic to boot. They both loved the bakery and the people who patronized it. But they were both gone now, and she was left alone with the work of a few.


Louisa held back the fiery tears and rubbed her face once again. Her once bright, emerald hues were now red and irritated, but she had to finish her work. So she began the grueling task of kneading the ingredients together in her mother’s old, porcelain mixing bowl.


There was a small candle flickering off to her right, hardly supplying enough light to do any work. The clouds were moving past the moon in small bouts, conveying a long, heavy shadow across the empty shop. The village was quiet and laid to rest, but her evening had only begun.

 

[Steviemac]

As Thad tops the small hill, he sees the little village laid out bellow. It's very late and it appears that everyone has turned in for the night. He is tired from his journey and in need of a place to bed down for the night. As he takes note of all the darkened buildings, he sighs and approaches to village.


Thad was hopeful that he would have reached a sleeping establishment earlier in the evening, but no such luck. He had set out on his journey three days ago, but didn't have a map to guide him. All he knew was that he needed to stay on this road until he reached the capitol city. Unfortunately, this meant that he had no idea how far spread out settlements along the way would be.


His feet were killing him and he hadn't had a meal in hours, having consumed the last of his rations several hours ago. He resigns himself to have to wait till morning to find some food and starts to look for an out of the way spot to curl up for the night. Then he sees it, a slight glow coming from what appears to be the village bakery. It looks like maybe he can get some grub at least.


Thad walks up to the bakery and tries the door. Thank the gods, it opens, hopefully they have some breads or cakes still available from earlier. Looking around, Thad doesn't see anyone.


"Hello, is anyone here?" he calls out. "I saw your light and the door was open."

 

[Helene]

Louisa had just finished covering the last batch of dough to let set for the morning, and was untying her apron when she heard him. She flinched at the sound of his voice and quickly crouched down beside the working table. I thought I locked that door.. she thought to herself, wondering if the man had actually forced his way in or if she had been so stupid as to not lock up after her last customer this evening..


The bakery had been vandalized on a few other occasions, one of which was the night her sister disappeared. Could this be who took her? The thought tumbled around in her mind, her pulse rising, her hands beginning to shake more vigorously.





But Louisa shook her head, forcing the thought to leave her. Auburn tresses fell to the floor, getting tangled in her fingers as she began to crawl around the small kitchen, looking for something big and blunt to hide with. Quickly she found the large rolling pin stored in a lower cabinet towards the front of the bakery and snatched it up tightly. A cloud of musty flour rose from the roller, however, and she felt a slight tickle..


Her nose wiggled and flinched, she placed a finger to the septum and closed her eyes tight, but very sharply and despite her attempts to contain it, a loud ACHOO escaped from her lips. She sniffled as her eyes grew wide.. Maybe it wasn't that loud.. Her heart was racing and her stomach was in knots. Stupid bakery..

 

[Steviemac]

Thad was was just turning to leave when he heard the unmistakable sound of a sneeze coming from the kitchen. Apparently whoever was back there hadn't heard him enter. He walks across to the doorway leading to the kitchen. Sticking his head through the door he calls out again.


"Hello?" He looks around but doesn't immediately see anyone. "Hello? I heard you sneeze. I know someone's there. Don't be frightened, I was just wondering if maybe you had a danish or bread left over? I've been walking for hours and I ran out of food earlier in the day. I'm starving and could really use something to eat."


Not wanting to frighten whoever is hiding further, he backs out into the main area. "I'll just wait out here, if that's o.k. I promise, I'm harmless." His stomach lets out a horrendous gurgle. "I really just need a little food. I have coin, I can pay you for it." He takes a seat at one of the small tables close to the front door. He wants to make sure he has a clear exit just in case whoever is in back decides to become hostile. He's exhausted, hungry, and not that food of a fighter so he wants to avoid any confrontation.

 

[Helene]

Louisa could see the shadow of the man in her bakery, elongated and dancing along the floor beside the candle. He seemed sincerely hungry and the rumbling of his innards proved his modesty, but she was still hesitant. The shadow disappeared as quickly as it came, however, as if it had never even been there. She was so tired, was the man even real?


She held tightly to the rolling pin as she shifted from leaning against the corner to sitting upright. Her legs swung from beneath her so that he knees were pressed into the cold wooden floor. With one hand reluctantly leaving the rolling pin, she reached up to the table, using it as leverage to pull her timid body from the floor. She wavered slightly as she gained balance and the rest of her stood upright. Her eyes darted around the kitchen, taking in the mess and chaos that the room had become. When was the last time I cleaned this place?..


Slowly and quietly she crept closer to the entrance of the kitchen, nearing the countered area where the leftover bread sat. He could have just taken what was sitting on the counter if he was as hungry as he had appeared. Perhaps he wasn't there for the food at all.. She grabbed the dirty porcelain bowl that sat on the edge of the table - a shield and a sword, she thought. Slowly and with deliberation she made her move behind the counter, just enough for the man to see the presence of another person. Her hair hid most of her face, now colored a strawberry grey from the excessive flour that had nestled into the locks. She placed the rolling pin an bowl in front of her, to warn the man that she was armed.


"What do you want?"

 

[Steviemac]

Thad watches as the woman walks from the back to behind the counter. Her appearance, covered as she was from head to toe in flour and brandishing her "sword" and "shield", would have been amusing is he wasn't so exhausted and hungry. It appeared that she has had just as rough a day as he has.


He remains seated but extends his hands, palms out, so as not to appear intimidating. "I saw your light through the window and thought you were open. The door was unlocked. I'm on a long journey and ran out of food earlier. All I'm looking for is something to eat." His stomach lets out another very audible rumble.


The mans clothes are covered in dust from the road. He had placed his rucksack by the door upon entering where it still sits. He isn't carrying any weapons, at least, none that are visible. His exhaustion can be clearly seen on his face.


"I am able to pay for any food you may have, either with some coin, or maybe by helping you out. You look as tired as I feel."

 

[Helene]

Louisa looks out at the man, her eyes flashing in the moonlight as it flickered into the bakery. She lowered the bowl just a bit as she stepped out fully into the doorway. The counter was only slightly shorter than she was, rising slightly below her breast, so she made sure to hold the rolling pin high above her waist, in full sight.


"There are plenty of villages nearby, why wait to stop this far into the evening?"


She looked about the front of the shop, noting the man had placed his bag near the door, seemingly unarmed. At each table sat a small candle, similar to the one that lead the man to her. She nodded towards it, flour falling from her form, "Light that candle there. It's much too dark for a stranger to be engaging in questions."

 

[Steviemac]

Thad reaches over slowly and retrieves a small bundle containing a flint and striking stone and proceeds to light the candle. His emerald green eyes sparkle slightly in the light. He gives a tentative smile to the young woman still brandishing a rolling pin at him.


"See, I'm harmless." he says, making sure to keep his hands where she can them so as not seem threatening. "And to answer your question, I'm on an urgent journey to the capitol to seek out a healer. A lot of people in my village have been getting really sick. Since I'm young, and have shown no signs of the illness, the village magistrate thought that I could cover the distance quicker than anyone else. That was three days ago. I've been traveling 'til I almost drop, curl up where I can, awake with the sun, and start the whole process over. This is as far as I can go tonight. I'm just too weary to go any further today." As if to emphasize the point, he produces a long yawn. "I just hope I can reach the capitol on the 'morrow. No remedies that we've tried so far have had any effect."

 

[Helene]

Louisa watched the man’s hands closely. They were large, but seemingly humbled. As the wick of the candle caught the flame, she glanced up at the man’s face, taking in what few features she could. They shared the same hues, and what she figured were the same tired bags beneath them.


She stepped closer to the counter’s edge, scooting around its corner to stand in front of it. “I’ve heard stories about a nearby village suffering some sort of plague. Last I heard it was spreading quickly to neighboring towns. Our village has been turning most outsiders away… You came at a good time, I suppose.”


Without turning too far away from him, she lets the rolling pin fall to one hand and reaches for a small glass case where the day’s bread still sat. There were a few pieces of wheat left on the plate that she’d neglected to throw out when the shop closed. She pulled the glass from the tray and set it down on the counter beside it. Grabbing the plate, she lifted it and turned to fully face him. “Here.” She jutted the morsels out towards him, placing them on his table quickly, still clutching the rolling pin tightly in the other hand. “It’s not very fresh, but it’ll stop that rumbling you have.” She backed up as quickly as she had approached, but stumbled a bit, tripping on her apron tie, and knocking the glass of the case onto the floor. The ear-numbing shatter of glass caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned away from the man quickly, kneeling down beside the glass, absorbing the mess she had just made.


“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!”

 

[Steviemac]

Thad lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes the woman is bringing him some food and it's about to whack him with her rolling pin. "Thank you." he says gratefully. No sooner had the words left his mouth than she knocks the glass case onto the floor, where it shatters, scattering shards of glass in all directions.


Thad quickly gets out of his seat and joins her in her clean up. "Here, let me help you with that. Did you get cut?" he asks with concern. He picks up some of the larger pieces of glass and deposits them into the waste basket by the counter. "My name's Thadeus by the way. Everyone just calls me Thad." The glass shattering seems to have relieved some of the tension that had been building since his arrival. He doesn't see any blood from cuts the woman may have gotten, so he returns to his seat.


He takes a large bite of the bread she brought to him. Even though it's a little stale, it's like honey to him. "Mmmmm! Thish ish da bes bread I' had in awhile." he says with his mouth full. Realizing he just exhibited very poor manners, be blushes a deep crimson.

 

[Helene]

She shudders as she feels the man approach, still a bit on edge from the turn her evening had taken. “I-I’m alright” she stammers out, gathering what glass she could in her palm. She stood to walk to the waste basket and tossed the glass inside. Without much thought, she scurried behind the counter to grab the broom and sweep up the rest of the glass. The darkness made it hard to see if she was picking anything up with the broom, but she carried on hoping to at least get most of it. “I’ll have to work on this tomorrow” she says to herself, almost forgetting that the man was in the room. But the sound of his voice snaps her back to the situation at hand: a strange man dining in her bakery, late in the evening, while she still had chores to finish up.


“Would you like some butter or jam?” She moves behind the counter to return the broom. Bending slightly, she grabs a jar of jam from its shelf and places it where the glass case once sat. She turns on her heels, swinging to the ice box near the back to grab the butter.


“I hear the capitol has grown quite tumultuous these past few weeks, crime and what not. Did you know this before you left your village?” She grabs the jam from the counter and brings both spreads to his table, still keeping her distance. Her guard has begun to lower, along with the rolling pin.

 

[Steviemac]

Thad swallows the large amount of bread he's been chewing before answering. "Thank you, some jam would be nice." He spreads a liberal amount of jam on the remainder of his bread. Before taking another bite, he answers the young woman's question.


"No. I've only ever heard good stories of the capitol. But, my village is small and we don't get very many visitors coming through, especially from as far as the capitol. It's rare that we get any news from other places. I guess I should have known the information we have was outdated." Thad sighs heavily, running a hand through his should length dark brown hair. "Well, it just can't be helped. My village is in need of a good healer, so I will still have to go there regardless. I'll just have to be more cautious while I'm there."


Thad takes another bite of his bread, this time making sure to swallow before speaking again. "Could I maybe trouble you for a glass of water miss?"

 

[Helene]

Louisa nods to the man as he thanks her, and returns behind the counter to retrieve his drink. She searches around in a cabinet for a mug, tip-toeing to reach the very last one from its respective cabinet. The only water she had in the shop had dirty dishes floating in it. “ I hops milk is alright.” Without waiting for an answer, she steps to the icebox and to grab the milk, filling the mug to the brim.


Slowly and carefully she glides over to the man’s table and places the mug beside his plate. With both hands mounted on the table, she slides into the seat across from him, peeking outside to catch a glance at the moon. “Hm. It seems to be raining.” Her arms fold in front of her, perched on the edge of the table, her eyes now wandering to watch the flame of the candle dance beside them.


“We have barterers that head into the capitol quite often to do business in the square. A few of them have come back bloodied and bruised - attempted robberies of their goods is what they say. So we’ve been low on our supplies around town.”

 

[Steviemac]

Thad takes a drink of the milk the woman placed by his plate. He listens to her tell of people from her village being attacked in the capitol, a look of concern coming to his face. Contemplating what this might mean for his task, he mulls over the information while finishing off his meal.


"Hmmm. Sounds pretty rough there these days. But I'm not carrying any valuables and I have only a small amount of coin. So maybe I can keep a low profile and be ignored by any thugs," he says, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Thank you for the meal. How much do I owe you?" he asks, reaching for his coin purse. He begins to count out some coins, not that there's many to count. His purse contains six copper pieces and one silver. Clearly, he is a man of limited means. "The village took a collection so I would be able to get food and shelter on my journey," Thad explains. "Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have ran out of coin at my first stop."

 

[Helene]

Louisa could see his expression change into one of uncertainty. Perhaps he simply was just a modest traveler after all. She grabs his plate once he’s done and heads back towards the kitchen. “Put your coins away. I would be a sin to charge someone for stale bread.”


As she reached the kitchen, she looked around the small space; the light from a candle perched near the washing bin had almost completely dwindled to nothing. She snatched it up and placed the plate into the icy dirty water she had once boiled to clean with. She knew she would never get any sleep if finished all of her chores. The man’s excursion into her bakery had set her even further back than she already was. With a sign, she wandered back to the man’s table, slumping herself into the seat she once occupied. She placed the candle in front of them, attempting to replenish the light that the moon once provided. The rain was picking up outside, she could hear the pitter patter of a small rodent sloshing through the growing puddles.


“You’ll stay here tonight.” The confidence in her voice surprised her just as quickly as the thought had come to her. “It’s raining and there is nowhere in town that will take you at this hour.” She avoided looking at the man, unaware of what her facial expression would convey. But she knew what was best for him, and it certainly wasn’t to leave. And by the look of his dusty garb and empty coin purse, she agreed with herself that he couldn’t be much of a threat.

 

[Steviemac]

"Thank you, that's very kind," Thad says as he puts the coins back in his purse. The rain is starting to pick up and he is grateful that he won't have to try to curl up under a tree somewhere. He looks around the room, trying to locate the best place to curl up in, when he notices that the woman seems to still have quite a bit of work left to do.


"Uh," he stammers, "Look, I feel real bad about scaring you and putting you so far behind with your work. Please, let me help you finish up." He's never worked in a bakery before, only on his family's farm. He supposes sweeping isn't much different than mucking out stalls. And his mom made him wash his fair share of dishes when he was younger. "I can wash those dishes for you and sweep up. Then I can get some shut eye."


He walks over to the sink where the dishes are sticking out of the dish water. "It's the least I can do for scaring you to death and putting you behind." He reaches into the water and pulls out a dirty plate. Looking around the area, he doesn't notice a rag to clean it with. "Uh, do you have a rag I can use to clean these?" he asks.

 

[Helene]

Louisa was taken aback by the man’s kindness. Of all the folks that knew her and her family, and knew of their recent misfortune, none had offered to help her without the promise of payment. She looked around the shop, it was so dark and candles were in short supply so she dared not to light another. “No… no. I don’t think I’ll be opening tomorrow. I haven’t slept but an hour or so in the last few days. I could also use the rest..” She stepped next to him, taking the dish from his hand and placing it back to the water. “I can finish these chores tomorrow when there’s better light.”


She began to ponder where the man might sleep. The bakery was nowhere for slumber and she lived just right up the road. There were extra rooms and quilts and beds there, and an ominous loneliness that she’d subconsciously been yearning to get rid of. Hesitantly, she looked up at the man, stepping away from him slightly. “If you’re up for it, my home is just a few minutes walk. There are clean linens and spare rooms for you to stay in. And with all this talk of robbery and what not, I would greatly appreciate the company through the night.”


The candle that she’d brought from the kitchen, into the front quietly died, leaving them in the shadows.

 

[Steviemac]

As the candle dwindles and goes out, Thad is taken aback at the offer she made of accompanying her to her her home. He doesn't have much in the way of bedding, just a very thin and threadbare throw that barely covers his legs, so the invitation to stay in a real bed, with real blankets, is a welcome one. "It is rather dark in here," he states. A slight grin touches his lips. "I would be honored to protect you on your walk home. But I don't think anyone could stand a chance against that rolling pin of yours." He side steps quickly in case she decides to whack him with said rolling pin for his joke and promptly trips in the dark and falls flat on his face. As he struggles to get back up, he's thankful that it's too dark for her to see him blush with embarrassment.


Getting to his feet, he nervously runs a hand through his hair. "Uh, I-uh, mm, not sure what happened there," he stammers, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. "Well, I guess if you're ready, lead on...miss?...I don't think you've told me your name." He walks around to the front of the counter and waits for the woman to lead him to her home. She said it's pretty close, so hopefully they won't get drenched by the rain. Although, his clothes could use a good rinsing off. Not to mention he could probably use a bath, as he hasn't had one since he left home three days ago.

 

[Helene]

Her cheeks swell with blood at the mention of her rolling pin. She had forgotten the threatening disposition the man had entered with. “I apologize for my defensive approach. I-“ Before she can finish her thought she hears the loud thud of the man’s fall. A slight giggle escapes her lips, the shape of a smile forming on them, almost unknown to her these days. She extends a hand to help him back to his feet, but the darkness hides her gesture and he is again upright. “Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?” The shop was a bit of a mess and anything could be hidden on the floor, ready to do damage to whomever crossed it.


“I’m Lou.” She says, not disclosing her full name. “I’ll just need to grab my cloak and we can head out. I believe I have a spare around here somewhere. Would you like it?” She turns on her heels to move towards the storage room, using only her hands and her familiarity of the bakery to find the door. Her fingers graze the knob after some prodding around and she presses the door open, a loud CREEEK escaping from the hinges. She steps inside, just a foot, and feeling around for the cloth. When she locates the heavy wool, she yanks it free from the hook, pulling the extra cloak with it.


Slowly creeping back towards the light, she extends the cloak outwards, approaching the man slowly. “Here. It’ll keep you dry. It was my fathers. He’d want you to use it.”


She slid the heavy, foresty colored garment over her shoulders. It practically swallowed her whole. From one of its pockets, she retrieved a silver key. “Go on ahead. I have to make sure to lock up this time.”

 

[Steviemac]

"I'm o.k. Lou" he answers her query about his fall. "Nothing injured except my pride." He gratefully accepts the offered cloak. "Thanks," he says simply, taking note that she seems to be mentioning her father in the past tense. Could he have been attacked in this very bakery? Is that perhaps the reason she was so on edge when he arrived? Maybe he'll have a chance later to get to know more about her. For now, he's just grateful of her hospitality.


He pulls the cloak over his head. It fits him rather well. "I'll wait for you just outside Lou," he says, pausing by the door the reach down and grab his rucksack. The door creaks slightly as he opens it and steps through. The rain seems to have steadied and isn't increasing. The cloak that Lou loaned him seems to be well made and is keeping him dry. As he waits for her to join him, Thad looks around the area, looking for any signs of movement. This woman seems frightened of someone, and he wants to be sure no one is lurking in the shadows. He's thankful that his older brother gave him a small dagger years ago. He has it tucked away in his boot. It's not much really, a three inch blade attached to a rather worn and rusting hilt. He's never had to use it for defense and isn't sure he'd know how to should the need arise, but by the gods he would try his hardest.

 

[Helene]

Louisa nods to him, watching him exit the shop. She turns about to look at the counter. What a mess, she thought, shaking her head in disappointment with herself. How in the world had she let the place get to this point?


Before heading to the door, she grabs the last of the milk from the ice box, knowing it’d go bad before she returned to the small bakery. A hefty leather satchel lay beside the ice box, one of her favorite possessions. She flipped the flap open to slide the milk inside, nestling it tightly beside the book the occupied it. She whisked back to the man, nodding again, as if to tell him to move on.


Closing the door behind them, she placed the silver key into the lock and gave it a turn, the sound of it latching echoing through the rain drops. Before stepping from beneath the small awning, she threw the leather bag beneath her cloak, guarding it from the rain. A chill ran up her spine as the wind snuck inside the small opening of the wool. She clenched the two edges together, making her skin unavailable to the treacherous cold. Her eyes shifted about, scoping the area in front of them, checking for any signs of life: nothing. Without a word, she began to trudge to the left, eyes on the ground, trying to avoid as many puddles as she could on their way to her home.

 

[Steviemac]

As Lou starts walking for home, Thad falls into step on her right. A chill wind blows across the village, sending a chill up his spine. The rain continues to come down and puddles have started to form on the road. He carefully steps over or around any that are in his direct path. The silence seems to be dragging on forever.


"That bakery back there," he says, breaking the silence, "is it yours?" He steps over another puddle. Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he sees some movement. Quickly turning his head to the right, nothing is there. It must have been his imagination. He faces forward again, continuing to follow Lou to her home.

 

[Helene]

Louisa had gotten lost in her own thoughts as the two walked down the muddy street. So lost, that she almost missed the question. “Huh? Oh, yes. Well, it is now, I suppose.” She sees the man avert his direction to his right, causing her to pause mid-stride. “Is everything alright?” She looks to her right as well, craning backwards to see past the man’s form. Her arms clutched the cloak around her closer as another chill fled up her back, only this one was not caused by the weather.


“We should hurry. The house is right up there.” She nods towards a rather small building, not too far in the distance. The darkness nearly swallowed the home whole, not a single light flickered within. She moved a bit closer to the man as she began to pick up her pace, still spooked from his odd behavior.


They finally reach the front door of the home. She fiddles in her pocket for the same silver key she used to lock the bakery, and slides it into the keyhole of the strong oak door. She has to jostle it a bit before the lock turns, but she manages to get the door open, throwing herself inside from the weight of the door. Quickly she grabs the candle she always leaves beside the opening to the home, but can’t seem to find her matches. “Do you happen to have your light on hand? I seem to have misplaced my own.”


One hand brushes her damp bangs from her face, giving her eyes a path to look up at the brooding figure before her.

 

[Helene]

OOC: Feel free to make up and part of this story - villains, objects in the home, whatever you please. And if you're bored and want to quit, just say so!


+ H.

 

[Steviemac]

OOC: Oh O.K. I'll do that as we go along. Not bored at all and no intentions of quitting. I'm curious to see where this story goes.