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[Aurelie Steerpike]

Yaris 12, 2720 - Late Morning | Hallways, Brunnhold Campus

Aurelie was surprised but not displeased Yazad knew of the variety. They weren't commonly regarded as much good for eating on their own, so she hadn't been quite sure. She felt something almost like pride, that someone from outside of Anaxas should know of them. An absurd feeling—Aurelie certainly had nothing to do with it on any level—but she felt it all the same. She beamed for a minute, before the excess brightness retreated to a more acceptable level.

They weren't too far from the outside of campus now. Aurelie was almost sorry for it, though she had work to get back to and certainly hadn't proven to be particularly thrilling as far as conversation went. Just her luck then, she thought ruefully, to find something to talk about as the journey was nearing its end.

"Ah... It is," she agreed. To her surprise, she did rather mean it. It was a shame, even if she couldn't quite picture it. She had to assume he would dress more appropriately for the activity, and Aurelie couldn't picture that either. The absurdity of it made her smile.

The smile held as Yazad went on, talking about jams. Rose jam seemed just the thing for him. Floral, lovely, and just a little strange—certainly she didn't find that it suited all palates here. In fact, thinking on it, she thought he even smelled a bit floral. She could have been imagining it, of course—they were a bit too far apart for her to be really sure. And not like roses, but still. A corner of her mouth quirked up just a little more.

"I'm afraid you might find that fewer here are as fond of floral flavors as you and I—oh, I, er. I do rather like them, also. I tried to make some scones, recently, with candied violets in them... They, ah, they were a disaster." Aurelie wrinkled her nose, remembering the test batch she had given to Allie. Her roommate had dutifully eaten as many of them as Aurelie could bear to watch her consume, but she knew they were awful. She hadn't really gotten the chance to try again, much as she might have liked to. She had to be absolutely sure she knew the adjustments she would want to make, anyway. There was no sense in wasting violets on another failure.

That would have to wait for next spring, she thought wistfully. They were out of season now, and hot-house flowers were far too expensive to be used on something like this. Perhaps, if she were lucky, they would come by some candied ones made before the end of the season. But only if they were lucky, and they would have to be in such great quantity that nobody would object to Aurelie using some of them. That seemed unlikely.

For a moment she fell silent again, thoughtful. Not as dour as before, but she chewed a corner of her lip. After a few paces, she seemed to come to some kind of decision. She turned, her hands folded together in front of her. "I-if you'd like," she offered hesitantly, looking up at his pale, pretty face, "W-well. When the jam is done, er, I think... I don't know if, er, your master, ah... I assume you are here because he works for the University in some capacity...? Er. I could give you a jar, if you'd like. After the end of Yaris—it should be done by the first week of Dentis...?"

Aurelie didn't know if this was something she could offer. Her stomach twisted, really, thinking of it. That had been awfully bold of her. Still, she reasoned, this master was an academic. Which meant that he likely worked for the University, didn't it? And by that count, then, the jam was as much his as it was anyone's. Just one jar couldn't hurt, she thought. It was only one jar.

[Yazad]

Hallways, Brunnhold Campus

Yaris 12, 2720 - Late Morning

K itchen work in Brunnhold did not sound all that bad, Yazad thought to himself as he continued to follow Aurelie’s lead throughout the hallways that went back to looking all the same to him. Certainly, the workers looked to have been kept very occupied by their tasks, but if they can come together to make delightful things like jam, it cannot possibly be quite so awful there. For a moment, he allowed himself to think about dropping by the campus kitchen at a later time to offer a helping hand, but that thought was quickly dismissed as the image of the stern Matron came back to his mind. That, and the fact that he will likely not find his own way to the kitchn even if he tried.

"Perhaps someday in the future, hm?" The man commented, leaving things up to destiny. If he was meant to be making jam with a polite, awkward young woman who shared his passion for baking, then surely fate will find a way to make it happen. Admittedly, it had been quite a while since he was able to go through such a variety of topics with someone who is not a part of his daily routine and Yazad could only relish it while it lasts.

"A loss for them, I am afraid. Still, I must admit that I, half-Hessean as I am, hardly a standard for Bastian taste." Smilingly, Yazad nodded. He had determined that his Hessean side must have been responsible for at least some of his preferences, both in food choices and in life generally. The male passive huffed another chuckle after Aurelie’s own confession about a ruined batch of candied violets and scones. "A beautiful disaster at the very least, I hope," he tossed the comment out there before continuing, "I have had many such failures during my younger days. Some of what I baked looked like abominable piles of dough that are half burnt, half uncooked. And I was following a recipe." Yazad contributed with his own story of failure, or at least one of them.

Silence passed by them for a moment while Aurelie looked thoughtful, and Yazad let it be, respectfully allowing the young woman time with herself and whatever had occupied her mind. His eyes drifted off to the books he carried. While he could not say that he was unused to this, his arms were growing rather stiff, making him adjust the small load of volumes every now and then. When his guide spoke again, the man looked up and blinked. Aurelie was clearly uncertain, but her offer of jam -hesitant as it was- still caused a wave of thankfulness to wash over him. Not only was she kind enough to lead his way, but she was also speaking of giving him something that she would have to work hard for. "You are correct. My master is Sophronios Logarchon, and he is a rather new addition to Brunnhold. Mind not his sharp gaze if you ever met him; he is not quite so terrible." Not at all, Yazad thought to himself with a smile of endearment. "Your generous offer is quite kind, thank you. I would say that I do not want to trouble you with the commitment, but I would be lying if I said that I am not rather curious to try the jam." Not to mention that flat-out refusing her offer might be quite ungrateful and rude.

"I would settle for the recipe if the jam itself proved a difficult venture." Yazad added with a touch of playfulness, inclining his head in a small bow. Was he going to refuse a chance to meet the amicable baker again? Not likely.

It was then that he noticed it at the end of the hallway; the tall form donning a forest green suit that he himself had prepared earlier this morning. Next to Sophronios’ figure was another that is unknown to him, but he did recognize him as the one his master was involved in a conversation with before.

"Ah, there he is." Yazad stated, a bit of relief mixing with his placid tone. At the very least, he was spared having to look for the galdor or to wait for him out at the gate for as long as it would take him to come out. It was, however, still saddening to put an end to a conversation that he was enjoying greatly. Silently, with a smile drawn on his face, Yazad met Aurelie’s eyes and lightly gestured with his head towards the man who was standing with his back to them, as if urging her to follow him, before he started walking ahead.

[Aurelie Steerpike]

Yaris 12, 2720 - Late Morning | Hallways, Brunnhold Campus

Hessean, really? Aurelie blinked. A surprising man who got more so. She supposed that one never knew, with looks, but she was surprised to hear that he was Hessean at all. Aurelie just nodded, afraid any comment on that point would be ignorant at best, and more likely vaguely insulting. She barely knew anything of Anaxas outside of Brunnhold, let alone of Bastia or Hesse—so who was she to say anything? Yazad was carrying on anyway, so Aurelie let her curiosity go.

A giggle escaped her as Yazad described his own failures. She had more than a few of those herself—not too many, at least. She'd learned fast enough not to waste time, oven space and ingredients. The scones, she almost said regretfully, had not been a particularly beautiful disaster. They had looked perfectly acceptable, of course, but she hadn't quite made it as far as making them actively pleasing to the eye before she'd had to scrap the whole experiment.

Aurelie hadn't been sure he would take it. As equally unsure he would want any of the jam as she was that she could offer it in the first place, really. It was entirely possible he was just being polite when expressing interest in it. Yazad was, after all, rather polite in general. Overly so, one might say—she had not forgotten every "good madam" on the walk to the edge of campus. She was pleased then when he at least left room for such a thing to happen.

"It's no trouble at all," she lied, rather cheerfully. It was the sort of lie she could tell, at least; the white lies of soothed feelings and social ease. No other, but this sort was of practical and vital importance. "If, ah, just drop by the kitchen again, if you'd like...? In Dentis, of course. Er. I did already... hmm."

She considered the matter of the recipe, chewing on the inside of her lip. She would like to give it to him, of course. But that might, in the end, have proven more difficult than the item itself. It was one thing to give a jar, one among many and hardly likely to be missed, to someone who did, after all, work for a member of the faculty. Quite another for her to write down the instructions, in her own shaky hand, from that strange twilight of the law where her literacy lay.

Aurelie opened her mouth to foolishly promise she would do it anyway, along with the gift of the results, when she followed Yazad's eyes to two well-dressed male figures at the end of the hallway. Her mouth shut with a nearly audible snap. Their little journey had reached the end, then; Aurelie found herself a little sad. She couldn't be sure that he would truly come by again, for jam or any other reason. And she had been enjoying their conversation, as strange as it had begun.

It had been nice to pretend to be a real person, for just a little while.

She had rather expected to stop there, bid her goodbyes, and return to her work. By now she would be missed, and there might be questions. Her errand was completely reasonable, but she did try to avoid doing anything with the immediate appearance of unseemly behavior. Especially of late. But Yazad looked back at her and met her eyes with a smile, silently gesturing that she should follow. Aurelie hesitated, but only for a moment. She was, she found, just a little curious.

[Yazad]

Hallways, Brunnhold Campus

Yaris 12, 2720 - Late Morning

A urelie’s cheer was a heartwarming thing to behold, and a little contagious. Yazad found it gladdening to see the nervous and awkward girl loosening up and show her adorable smile more--something that she should definitely do more of, in his unspoken opinion. "That I will do, certainly. I suppose that I am to look forward to some rather delectable jam until then." The man made the comment with an accompanying nod. He did not want to pressure her when she was already somewhat hesitant, but Yazad still intended to make it known that he is eager enough to receive her generous gift of jam.

It occurred to the man then, that he should return the young woman’s kindness with something of his own making. The prospect of gifting jam was a suitable one, as they both seemed to enjoy it. Baked goods were also another choice, but one that allowed for a lot less flexibility. It was, after all, best to consume pastries fresh, preferably on the spot, and with some complimentary tea. Had it been possible, he would have arranged for a meeting somewhere near their home in The Stacks, but Aurelie had made it clear earlier that she was not familiar with the area. Her work seems to be rather demanding, as well. It might be a better idea for him to come to campus himself.

Thinking of all the possible options made Yazad feel a bit of giddiness that was not reflected in his serene expression. He could go with rose jam, of course. It was not quite as common as the other types of jam, and Aurelie had mentioned that she liked it. There was also raspberry jam since she had made mention of scones before. To him, the tart flavor of berries is the best to use with a scone, especially if one had some clotted cream to go with it. Lastly, one of his personal favorites: apricot jam. Any of these would be something that he can easily make and confidently present to the other baker, but there was still the crop’s season to consider. It appears that this is something that he will have to take a bit of time to think through, especially since he fully intended to make a pleasing presentation instead of simply offering a plain jar of jam.

Their idle yet quite entertaining chatter about kitchen matters came to a close as they approached the two men. Sophronios’s body was, by now, an old and entirely memorized book to Yazad. Such things came with living in close proximity with someone for over a decade. Judging by the way his pseudo-master’s motions were slower than they had been when he was first separated from him, then it must be that Sophronios had come down from his high of scientific-driven excitement. Whatever conversation they were having, it has now been reduced to a simple polite exchange by the look of it.

"Pardon me for my absence, sir. I hope that you are prepared to depart now?" Both Yazad’s steps and his voice were steady and sure as he moved closer, bowing his head to the unfamiliar man who looked slightly surprised, but then relieved to be given a polite opening to leave.

"You were not here?" Sohpronios sounded rather puzzled as he turned to face the passive, noting the presence of a red-haired girl in university blue lingering behind him.

"I was not, and you did not notice." Yazad responded with a little shake of his head, in a manner that sounded like a soft, padded reprimand. If the passive had been frowning instead of smiling, he might have come across as annoyed, but instead, he only looked and sounded playful. "You owe it to Madam Aurelie here to have someone making you dinner tonight, instead of being hopelessly lost inside this maze." As he was speaking, the raven-haired man stepped aside to give his taller companion a full view of Aurelie. Sophronis, with a face that displayed only the barest hint of a reaction, simply nodded to the girl.

"You owe it to Madam Aurelie here to have someone making you dinner tonight, instead of being hopelessly lost inside this maze."

"Good madam, thank you kindly for your assistance. This has been quite a delightful encounter for me, brief as it was." It was now Yazad’s turn to face Aurelie, after he moved to stand by the other male’s side. The male who towered over him, and looked as if he was off in a different plane of existence, with a look of deep and intense thought.

"I shall be back as promised. Until then, be well." His final sentence was spoken with a small bow and a smile that was grateful as much as it was hopeful for another meeting. When Sophronios -who wasted no time to turn around and start walking away- began to move, so did Yazad. The other man was long gone.

The rest of their trek was shrouded in mutual, but not heavy, silence. It was a silence that is common between them, born out of familiarity instead of awkwardness. It amused Yazad greatly that he, apparently, had a tendency to meet intriguing girls in blue. The incident from years ago, back in Florne, was one that is unforgettable, and that was brought to mind after current happenings. One was a galdor in diamond and silk, one was a servant stashed away from view in the kitchens of Brunnhold.

Alas, the passive reminded himself with a smile aimed at the subtle ironies of fate:

Not every blue is the same.

[Aurelie Steerpike]

Yaris 12, 2720 - Late Morning | Hallways, Brunnhold Campus

Aurelie was pleased by Yazad's apparent eagerness. A little nervous about it too, truthfully, considering she could make no promises for how this particular batch would turn out. But mostly just pleased, and excited. It was nicer to make something when it was for someone else. The students and faculty of the university were both too numerous and too faceless to count as a "someone else" to her.

Aurelie wondered, rather wistfully, if she could have Fionn at least try some as well. She hadn't seen or heard from him since; she hadn't expected to, not so soon, but she had hoped. Well. That was all right. Just best not to count on anything. Any unease the thought had wrapped up around it Aurelie buried. Now was hardly the time for any of that.

She trailed a little further behind Yazad than they had kept all the walk over. It was one thing to keep a minimal polite distance when the most that could be expected was an idle glance turned their way. Quite another entirely to keep that same proximity, perfectly seemly as it had been, in front of eyes deliberately focused on either one of them. Habit or instinct, she wasn't sure which, made her draw into herself. As if she could becoming invisible just by wishing it so.

The second man left as they approached; the green-clad figure who remained must then have been Sophronios. He looked over at the two of them with that kind of absent-mindedness managed by many a career academic. Part of her wanted to smile at the exchange, the clearly fond scolding. Yazad sounded less like the man's servant and more like his mother. It was charming; the smile stayed off of her face. She bowed deeply and politely when he looked her direction. She had only just managed to straighten again when Yazad stepped aside and pointed her out.

For a moment, she panicked. Nothing outward; she was too used to keeping her face politely neutral in front of faculty for that. But she hadn't expected to be pointed out so directly, and it left her briefly floundering.

"Oh—er. You're welcome, ah..." Her eyes flicked between Sophronios and Yazad. Their conversation and her wild promise both seemed more inappropriate, standing in the range of a proper field as they were now. Reminding Aurelie of her place, and what she could and could not offer, however unintentionally.

"Y-yes. Until then. Ah. It was good meeting you." The galdor rather towered over the man she had been guiding through the hall who was in his employ; she had barely processed any part of the meeting before he was away and down the hall. That, at last, brought the smallest quirk of a smile to her otherwise neutral face. Aurelie waved as Yazad started off after his master. She didn't watch them go; as they parted from her, so she turned to go back to the kitchen and the work that was waiting for her.

What an odd young man, she thought with a smile now that no one could see her. Her trip back was much quicker than their walk over. Aurelie could take all the back paths and servants' corridors she had avoided before, in deference to Yazad's somewhat singular status. Odd—but she did look forward to seeing him again. Whatever she was or wasn't, whatever she could or could not offer.