Beyond the Bakery (1x1)

[Steviemac]

Thad notices Lou's stride falter as he whips his head around to look for the movement he thought he saw. "Huh? Oh sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. I thought that I saw something over by that tree. Guess I'm just tired."


Lou points out her home. A small, nondescript dwelling, much like the others nearby. As she takes out her key and opens the door, he glances around the immediate vicinity. He doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. As they step inside, she asks him for his light. "Sure, it's right here," he says, reaching into his bag and pulling out his flint and striking stone. He strikes the flint on the stone and the wick of the candle lights.


Looking around, he sees that the home is fairly well kept. They room they are in is furnished with a small sofa and a rocking chair, with a nice sized fireplace on the left. A doorway in the back wall appears to lead to the kitchen and dining area. To the right, a staircase leads to a second floor. Thad assumes this is where the bedrooms are.


He removes his cloak and hands it to Lou. "Thank you for lending me this. It did a nice job of keeping the rain out." Not wanting to track mud into the house, he removes his boots and sets them by the door, taking his dagger and placing it in his bag. "Is there anyone else here?" he asks. "I don't want to wake anyone."

 

[Helene]

“No one else is here,” the words fall from her lips, scattering through the empty home. “No one else had been here in a while, actually.”


She slips her cloak off as well, piling it on top of his, her boots sliding off just as swiftly. She leads them towards the kitchen, her satchel still resting over her shoulder. “I need to put the milk away then I’ll show you to your room.” Carefully, she pulls the cold bottle from the bag and places it neatly into the ice box. The kitchen was small, but full of differently-sized pots and pans, spoons and cutting knives, jars and canisters.


Tiptoeing to reach it, she pulled another candle in its holder from the top of a cabinet, tilting the wick of her candle to light it. “Here,” she hands it to him, careful not to let the flame dance its way onto his clothes. “I’m not sure where the candles are in the room you’ll be sleeping in, so you may have this one.


They continued through the kitchen, exiting through an arched doorway near the dining table. There were narrow steps just down the hall that lead to the upstairs bedrooms. This hall was lined with different pieces of art nailed to its sturdy walls. Many of the pieces came from the capitol city, depicting various leaders and buildings, chiseled and painted onto stone. She lead him up the stairs and to the first bedroom off the hall.


“You can sleep here. There are covers and sheets on the bed already. Make yourself at home.”


She pushed the door open as she spoke, leading him in with her candle. It was a small room, that of a young woman’s. There was a vanity beside the bed cluttered with oils and perfumes, rouges and lip-paint. There were a few pieces of painted pottery in the corner, mostly vases to hold lush flowers from their garden. But they were empty now, just like the home.

 

[Steviemac]

Thad can here the sorrow in her voice as she tells him no one else has been here for a while. It's clear to him that this poor woman has had some tragedy befall her family. He opens his mouth to say something comforting, but can't think of anything that would be helpful. He follows her into the kitchen, where she hands him a candle resting on a plain, round, wooden holder.


Holding the candle out in front of him, he follows her up the narrow staircase. He pauses briefly to glance at the art work lining both sides of the upstairs hall. A few of the pieces look like they cost quite a bit. They are all well done and give the space a homely feel. Upon reaching the last door on the left, Lou informs him that he can sleep here.


"Thank you. It looks very comfortable," he says gratefully. As he looks around the room, he can tell that it's a room that once housed a girl. There is vanity next to the bed with assorted make up and the curtains on the single window are trimmed in delicate lace. There is nothing masculine here at all so he assumes it wasn't her parents room. A sister perhaps? He can't help but wonder what has happened to Lou's family.


He sets the candle on the vanity and turns down the bed. "Well, I should really turn in," he says, stifling a yawn. "I still have to get to the capitol and hope to get an early start." He contemplates what may be happening in his home village. How many more have become ill in the three days since he left? How many have died? His mind comes back to Lou. She is a mystery to him. Maybe he can find out more about her over breakfast. For now, the dreams of a deep sleep are calling to him.

 

[Helene]

She nods to him, closing the heavy wooden door behind her. She stood at the door for a minute, pondering the man. He looked worn and worrisome, which in turn worried her. Quietly she edged down the stairs, the candle enlarging her shadow against the wall. Her eyes ran over the art work. There was one piece in particular that she really loved. It was a plate, covered in gold, with a portrait of the busy Plaza at the Capitol. She had only been there once when she was much younger. Her father had more recently forbade her and her sister to step foot in what he called 'that toxic wasteland'. It was after the trouble had started with him and some small business owner there. But that's all she really cared to think about on the issue. He was gone now. Everyone was. And so was she, down the stairs and back into the kitchen.


--


With her foot, she nudged a small stool over towards the cabinet she kept their mugs. Perhaps he wants a glass of water... she thought, pulling a brass pint to her chest. Beside the counter was a large jug that her family had used to keep their boiled drinking water. She tipped it a bit until the water started to fall freely. She filled the cup nearly to the brim before letting the water stop. It was still pretty cold. The home in general was pretty cold. She shivered as the cool metal chilled her hand. Grabbing at the hem of her dress with a free finger, she hurried back up to the man's room.


Without thinking, she pushed open the door, sloshing a bit of the water onto the wooden floor, "I thought you could use a bit of water at your bedside."

 

[Steviemac]

Thad had just removed his shirt and laid down on the bed when the door opened. He sat bolt upright, thinking that perhaps something was wrong. When Lou announces that she is only bringing him a glass of water, the tension visibly leaves his tense muscles. "Thank you. That's very thoughtful," he says graciously.


As she places the glass on the vanity, he can sense that her melancholy has grown. "You seem so sad," he says, his voice filled with sympathy. "Would you like to talk about it?" His tired brain catches up with his mouth. What was he thinking? Offering to talk to a woman he just met about her personal issues while lying half naked in bed? "What an idiot!", he thinks to himself. Surely she's going to take it the wrong way and think he's trying to seduce her. He quickly tries to recover. "It's none of my business. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it." He picks up the glass of water and takes a long drink. He sets the glass down, hoping he hasn't offended her. It's not like him at all to pry into someone's personal life, especially someone he just met. Maybe it's because he's so tired. Or maybe he just feels sympathy for her. Whatever the reason, he'll have to figure it out later. His brain is too exhausted to work it out right now.

 

[Helene]

Louisa looses her breath almost as soon as she entered, seeing the man in such a... vulnerable state. She moved the candle in front of her face, attempting to shield her eyes. "oh my.. I-I'm so sorry. I should have knocked, I don't know what I was thinking!" The words flew from her lips like a finch escaping it's cage. She slides over to the vanity, quickly releasing the mug, water splashing out onto the glass.


His questions threw her off, though. Was her demeanor so forlorn that even a stranger could see it? "N-No... I'm O.K.. Just tired. I haven't slept a whole lot these past few weeks. The bakery has kept me quite busy." She lowered the candle a bit to glance over at him, her eyes rolling over his form, the outline of his muscles defined by the dimmed lighting.


"I-I'm sorry, again. There's more water in the jug in the kitchen, and food in the pantry. You're welcome to it, whatever you need. I'll be in the room at the end of the hall if you need me."

 

[Steviemac]

"Thank you for everything," he replies. "I'm sure I won't need anything else tonight." He stretches out on the bed and pulls the covers over himself as she leaves. He mulls over her answer of being tired and over worked. He supposes that's what could be the problem, but somehow he doesn't think that's the whole story. He is so exhausted himself though. Maybe he is readying too much into her sullenness. Perhaps he can figure out more once they have both had a good nights sleep.


He rolls onto his side, looking out the window into the night sky. He just barely she a small sliver of the moon peeking through the clouds. It seems the rain may be clearing up. "Good," he thinks to himself. He didn't want to have to continue his journey in the rain. As his thoughts shift from Lou to his village, he falls into a deep slumber. Sometime in the night, he has a horrible dream about his village. In the dream he arrives back from the capitol, only to find everyone has died. As he walks through the village, the dead line the street, blaming him for their deaths. Thankfully, he won't remember this dream when he awakes.

 

[Helene]

Her door closes behind her, a sigh of relief escaping her tired lips. She fiddles with the zipper on the back of her dress, eventually getting it to move. One foot, then the other and she was in her slip and corset. She released herself from these as well and slid into bed. Before she could blow her candle out, she was asleep. She did not dream. She hadn't dreamed since he first night without her sister. But she liked it that way.


--


It was dawn and she was slipping on the last piece of her outfit, her mother's favorite necklace - a small ruby surrounded by even smaller diamonds. It had cost her father a fortune, but it was what her mother wanted, and therefore, she got it.


She held her bedroom door as it closed, hoping not to make any ruckus as she made her way to the kitchen. Tip-toeing past the man's room, she paused for just a split second, listening to see if he was awake and moving around. When she heard nothing, she continued downstairs and into the kitchen.


She would make them breakfast before he left for the capitol - The Capitol.. - she began to think about all the rumors she'd heard about recent going-ons and how so many of her customers had visited her with bruised eyes and broken bones. The thoughts tumbled and tumbled and before she knew it she had eggs and milk and flour scattered on the counter, ready to make hotcakes. She hadn't had any sausage or bacon or any kind of meat for that matter, since the chaos started. It was one of the items rarely found in the area these days.


She grabbed a large mixing bowl from one of the cabinets to her left and began tossing in the ingredients. She lit the small stove and placed the cast iron skillet above it, the metal heating up quickly. After her tossed a bit of batter into the pan, she whisked a few eggs in a separate bowl; eggs and hotcakes with jam - the same breakfast she'd eaten everyday for the past 3 weeks.


The smells began to rise through the house as she hummed a soft tune to herself.

 

[Steviemac]

Thad slowly wakes from his slumber. As he sits up in the bed, he can smell breakfast being made in the kitchen. His stomach lets out a loud rumble, reminding him that he hasn't a proper meal in days. He swings his legs over the edge of the bed and stretches, his arms reaching skyward. He stands and retrieves his shirt, pulling it over his head. Properly dressed, he leaves the room and heads downstairs to the kitchen.


"That smells amazing," he says in way of a greeting. "It's been days since I've had a real meal." He walks to dining table and takes a seat in one of the chairs. "I hope you slept well. Do you need any help with the cooking? I'm not nearly as good a cook as my mom, but I know how to flip hotcakes."

 

[Helene]

His sudden appearance startled her. She turned around to greet him, the food ready to be plated. "Good morning." she says, her soft lips curling upwards just slightly. While she removes the hotcakes from the heat, she begins to chatter - "I was out like a light. I woke up to the candle wax dried down the side of my night stand. Did you sleep alright? That room can get drafty at night."


She places his plate in front of him, returning to the counter to pour him a glass of milk. Her dress swishes around her feet as she moves with a bit of speed, the sleep truly giving her a bolt of energy. Retrieving the milk, she also brings the canister of jam.


"Here, for your hotcakes. It's the last of the raspberry jam. You should try it, it's quite delicious."


Again, she flashes him a smile, only this time bearing a set of pearly whites. She had a plan. She was going with him to the capitol. And she had to convince him she wasn't as sour and eaily-frightened as he may have believed.

 

[Steviemac]

Thad spreads some of the jam onto his hotcakes. He cuts into them with gusto, shoving a large portion into his mouth. He picks up his glass of milk and takes a swig, swallowing the mouthful of food without hardly chewing. "This is the best breakfast I've ever had," he thinks to himself. This could be because it's the only home cooked meal he's had since leaving home. "You're right about the jam," he says to Lou. "It's fantastic."


By the smile on her face, he can see that she is in better spirits. It would seem that a good nights rest has done wonders for her. "And in answer to your question, I slept like a baby. The bed was very comfortable and warm." He takes another bite of his food, this time remembering to chew. "I should really head out after I'm done with breakfast," he says to her. "I want to try and reach the capitol by this afternoon. I want to thank you for your hospitality. Not many people would take a stranger into there home these days."

 

[Helene]

Louisa watched the man as he began to eat. She was surprised he could taste the jam, the way he devoured his meal. She giggled, "I would hope it's at least alright. I am a baker, you know." She nibbles a small bite herself, taking a sip of her milk, brushing the auburn locks from her face.


"I, uh.. I was meaning to ask you.. How long do you think it might take for you to reach the capitol?" There was hesitation in her voice. She had no idea which direction to head to get there on her own, but she knew she needed to get out of her village. Just the scare he had given her was enough to tell her that she would live in paranoia and misery the rest of her life if she didn't take action now, and he seemed to be just the push she needed to do so.


Standing, she grabbed his plate to fill it with more hotcakes, as if looking to have just a bit more time to really decide if she was willing to go.


"I know you need to leave, but you don't know the next time you'll eat, so you should fill up here."

 

[Steviemac]

Thad grins up at Lou as she takes his plate to refill it. "That's smart thinking," he says to her. "I think I can spare the time to have some more of those wonderful hotcakes." He takes another drink of his milk.


"I was hoping to be there by late afternoon. If my calculations are right, it's only about a half days walk from here." He spreads some more of the jam on his second helping of hotcakes and takes a more civilized bite. "My plan is to head straight to the healers quarter when I get there. I should be able to find a healer there that will be willing and able to help my village. We have taken up a collection that we have stashed at the town hall to give to anyone who comes to help. Hopefully that will be enough incentive."


He continues to eat his hotcakes, every now and again taking a drink of milk to wash them down.

 

[Helene]

As she listens to his plans, she finishes what is on her plate, bringing it to the small wash tub and laying it inside to rinse off later, if later were to ever come. Returning to the table, one hand idly plays with the necklace. Her eyes move over his features as he speaks, taking in this martyr of sorts.


"How much did you manage to take with you, if you don't mind the question.." She blushes a tad, knowing that the talk of money is always left tot he men and that even if she was a man, she had no business asking what was in his coin purse. But she had quite a bit of coin stashed around the house, a few jewels, and what was at the bakery. It could be enough to take care of herself and help him get a healer to his people. Perhaps she would use that as leverage to get him to let her tag along. But she had no bags packed, no plan for travel. And she didn't want to delay his trip.

 

[Steviemac]

Thad watches her play with her necklace as she asks him about how much money he has. The necklace seems to mean quite a lot to her. Was it given to her by her mother? Maybe the sister he suspects she has? Perhaps he'll ask her about it before he heads out.


"I don't mind. They sent me away with five silver coins for personal use, of which I have two silver and 6 copper left. They also gave me an additional five silver as a down payment for the healer. My village doesn't have much. We're a small farming village. But, we were able to collect another twenty silver that the village council will pay after the healer arrives."


He finishes up with his second helping and takes the plate to the little sink before Lou can snatch it up. Finding the dish rag next to the sink, he washes the two plates, dries them, and sits them on the counter.


"Well, I wish to thank you again for your hospitality, but I really must be going. Perhaps I'll stop by that bakery of yours on my home and stock up on some pastries for the journey back." He turns and heads toward the door.

 

[Helene]

She watches him rise from his seat, anxiously biting at her lower lip. How was she going to invite herself along to the capitol? Her eyes wandered around the kitchen, looking for edibles and jugs - anything she may be able to bring with them - more leverage. Quickly thrusting herself up from the seat, she whips around to face him.


"Let me go with you!" it blurts out - "I have coin here and a few jewels to offer you, to help you pay the healer, or to pay for your needs, and mine as well. And there is money at the bakery that we could use as incentive for him on our journey home! I promise I can keep up and won;t be a bother to you!"


Her words fly from her tongue like daggers, hoping to hit him hard enough to allow her to join.


"I won't take but a few more minutes to pack! I won't need much. And I have some food and water we can bring with us for night travel on our return. Please. Let me join you."


Her emerald eyes are wide and searching, waiting for his reaction. She's subconsciously moved so close to him that she can see the pores of his skin. Her heart is beating so fast she can feel it against her breast, and her legs are trembling, afraid of what he might say.

 

[Steviemac]

He's taken aback at her sudden outburst. His first thought is to say no, but as he listens to her ask to join him, he can't help but wonder at her motives for wanting to leave. She has a nice home and seems to be doing rather well with her bakery. He thinks back to anything she may have said before that would give an indication why she would want to go with him.


He remembers how sad she seemed last night. Although she didn't really say much about her family, he got the distinct impression that some tragedy has befallen them. Could this be the reason she wants to go?


"Well, um, like you said before. The capitol is a dangerous place. Why would you want to go to a place where you might be attacked, or worse?" he asks curiously. "I mean, I have no choice but to go, but you have your bakery to take care of." He searches her face for any kind of clue that might give away her reasons for wanting to go.

 

[Helene]

Immediately her eyes fall to the floor, already feeling quite defeated. Her hand clutches the necklace and she takes a step back, blood rushing to her face, changing its hue to resemble that of her long, wavy locks.


"I-I.." she doesn't have a good reason that she wants to share. She didn't think he'd want to know why, the question was unexpected . "I- we don't have a lot of resources here for the bakery, supplies are running low. And no one wants to head to the capitol because of the turmoil, so my bakery won't be in operation much longer if I don't go there now..."


That was a lie, but it rolled off her tongue so naturally. The bakery had more flour than she could ever ask for, eggs and milk were in fresh supply due to the neighboring dairy farm.. But he didn't know that.


"Please. I can pay you to be my guide into the capitol. You'll be compensated. I promise."

 

[Steviemac]

He mulls over what she says about the bakery. She had told him last night that traders had all but stopped going to the capitol because of the violence incurred on them. It would make sense that she would need to get those supplies, and if no one else is willing to go for her, she would have to rely on herself.


"O.k." he says with a grin. "I'll escort you to the capitol to get those supplies. I have no interest in being compensated, but I don't think what little personal funds I have will be enough for both of us. We shouldn't need to much though. Enough for your supplies and probably a couple of rooms for the night," He tells her with a look of concentration on his face as he tries to calculate how much money they might need. "And maybe a couple of meals."


He sits back down at the table. "I'll wait here while you go and get ready," he says with a big goofy grin on his face. He's not sure how they'll get the supplies back, but he'll figure that out later.

 

[Helene]

Instantly her face lightened up, her eyes catching the sunlight that beat through the window and her lips curling into the kind of smile that doesn't hide a single tooth.


"Alright! There are a few loaves of bread, some jam and pickles, and 2 jugs around the kitchen. If you pack them up while I grab my things, we'll be out of here in no time!"


And like that, she shot out of the kitchen and up the stairs, almost knocking a few of the pieces that lined the staircase off their nails. SHe entered her room in a frenzy - she didn't know the first thing about packing! There was her satchel with her book that she could take, and her sister had a similar one in her room. She would use them both to pack as much as she could.


In her satchel she stuffed two small, light dressed, ones that she used to wear in the summer time. Hopefully it wouldn't be too cold on their journey, and quite frankly, it was all the clothes she could pack. There was also her hair brush and a small bag with several pieces of silver - money she had made at the bakery and was unable to spend on herself since she had been left to tend to things alone.


Running into her sisters room she grabbed the other bag. It was a light brown hide, detailed with some intricate designs that she didn't quite understand. She would fill it with an outfit from her father's wardrobe for Thad as he looked like he would need a change of clothes at their arrival. She also grabbed another small coin purse from her mother's jewelry box, a gold bracelet, and another small gold necklace, one that would only fit a child's neck.


Like a bolt of lightening, she was back in the kitchen, flinging the bags into the kitchen table. "Did you find everything? We can stuff the rest of our supplies in these bags!"

 

[Steviemac]

While she is upstairs getting packed, Thad wraps the loaves in a clean towel he finds in the cupboard drawer. He lays them down on the table and goes back to retrieve the jam and pickles. He has a jar in each hand when Lou comes streaking back down the stairs. She flings the bags onto the table, asking if he found everything.


"Yep," he answers, holding up the jars he is carrying. "And the bread is wrapped in that towel there," he says indicating the towel on the table with a nod of his head. "I think this should be enough to get us there," he states, placing the food in one of the bags. He looks around the kitchen, searching for anything else that might be useful. Not seeing anything, he turns to Lou.


"I'm ready to go when you are," he says lightheartedly. He walks to the front door and puts his boots on. Picking up his rucksack, he waits for Lou to join him.

 

[Helene]

Still smiling brightly, she gives him a nod, disappearing for a minute only to return with the same two cloaks they had worn the night before. – “Here.” She hands him the cover – “It may help us in the future.” – Throwing hers over her form, she pulls the hood from her head, brushing the loose stands of hair from her face. The satchels are slung over her shoulders, her boots are on, and she’s ready to go.


She pulls the key from her pocket and notions him to head out of the home. Closing the heavy wood behind her, she turns the key until it latches. This was it. She was finally leaving. Moving on… or so she thought.


It was unlike her to fall so easily to the side of a stranger, and that’s what Thad was. A stranger. Or maybe, she thought, he was an opportunity. Maybe he was sent to her shop for a reason. Her mind only wandered for a split second before she met his emerald gaze with a smile – “Let’s go.”

 

[Steviemac]

Thad returns her smile. He's glad to see her in such a great mood. The happiness on her face only enhances the beauty of her features. He leads the way down the main road of the town, leading them toward the capitol. As they walk along, he thinks to himself that this journey just got a whole lot better. Looking over to Lou, he strikes up a conversation.


"So, tell me. What do you like to do when your not baking?" He turns his attention back to the road. He hopes he isn't sounding too forward. But, if they're going to be traveling companions, he'd like to get to know her better. And besides, they can't go all the way to the capitol in silence.

 

[Helene]

Louisa catches his glance just as his eyes divert back to the path - "Well, recently I've been so busy with the bakery up-keep that I haven't had the time to think about anything enjoyable." Her head lowers a bit, trying to come up with an answer. Should she lie again? He seemed to believe her before and maybe keeping who she was a secret would serve as useful.


"But I suppose," she continued, actively putting more thought into her answers, " I suppose I like to read and to write. We used to a garden that housed all kinds of flowers and shrubs.. I spent a lot of my time there, keeping to myself mostly." She begins to feel her insides tie themselves in knots. She can't remember the last time she stepped foot in that garden. Looking up at him, she quickly changes the subject.


"What about you? Before this illness broke out, what was your occupation? What did you enjoy doing? You must have been loved by your village to trust you with the money and the dangerous journey.."

 

[Steviemac]

Thad looks over at her with a big smile on his face. "I'm glad you asked," he says jubilantly. "My story is one of miracles," he states mysteriously. "You see, I'm not supposed to be here! Oh, I don't mean here with you, I mean alive! You see, my mother had me a full three moon cycles early. The midwife told her that I was stillborn. My mother insisted that she be allowed to hold me anyway. Upon placing me in her arms, I took a breath. They couldn't believe their eyes. Then, being stubborn as I was, I took another breath, and another. The midwife said it was a fluke and that I would only live maybe an hour. But I fooled her! That hour turned into a day, and that day into a week. After a full cycle of the moon, it was apparent that I refused to give up my life. So, I am the miracle baby that shouldn't have lived. And you're right, my village came to love me for it. For the first few moon cycles, everyone came to check on me." He looks at her a little sheepishly. "That's what my mom told me anyway." He grins and turns back to the road.


They have left town behind and are cresting a small hill. Looking out over the hill, he sees that rode ahead seems to be clear and in good repair. They should make good time in getting to the capitol.